Natural Highs
by Ninja C
Summary: Yes, this is stolen from the ever-popular list found on many profiles here. Basically, small things that still manage to brighten the flock's days. Canon pairings, no particular subject. Completed.
1. Chocolate Milkshake

**Natural Highs**

**Lemme set this straight right off the bat. Yes, this list of "natural highs" can be found on multiple profiles. That, in fact, is where I found it. I'm just temporarily stealing it because a lot of them looked MR-compatible. Anyone who has this list on their profile, please don't eat me.**

**Now, I don't know how long this series is going to be. Just until I run out of "natural highs", I'd expect. Please feel free to PM or review me with more options. Also, these chapters can be anywhere in length ranging from painfully short to (as has happened with my other "indefinite" series, under Harry Potter) twelve pages or something on Word.**

**So, please, try to ignore my ghastly writing style and enjoy this random New Year's gift.**

**Disclaimer: No Max Ride in my stocking. Or this list, either.**

Chapter 1: Chocolate Milkshake

The flock stopped at a little diner in Indiana, on another urgent, Voice-induced goose chase. Well, urgent or not, we all still had to eat.

We pushed two tables together, knowing we'd need the room. Ordering was easy and quick (but, as usual, mind-boggling for the poor waitress). So now all we had to do was wait for our order that took up two pages of our server's pad.

"This is gonna be so, _soooo_ good," Nudge sighed, smelling incredibly greasy food smells wafting from the kitchen.

"And what's better," I said to the flock at large, "is what comes _with_ the food." I was momentarily distracted in my thoughts of smooth, chocolatey goodness.

Our food came to the table then, and all six of us lunged for our drinks and took a long draught. The sugar rushed through our veins, and the temperature gave me a small chill.

Aah, the joys of a good chocolate shake.

**Yum, chocolate. Now I **_**really**_** want a shake. Hopefully you'll not be scared off by this fic and will come back for more!**

**Happy New Year!**


	2. Twenty Dollars

**Natural Highs**

**Great. Instead of doing my immense pile of homework for winter break, I'm just gonna keep this story up. Let's hear it for procrastination, folks!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Maximum Ride or any of the characters… unfortunately. I can pretend, but my invisible friends can only get me so far in life…**

Chapter 2: Finding a Twenty Dollar Bill in Your Coat Pocket from Last Winter

"Nudge, come on! We're leaving!" Gazzy yelled from down the stairs.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Nudge hollered back. The flock was still staying at Anne's, and it had gotten a little chilly this past week. They and Anne were about to head off to school, but Nudge couldn't find her old, patched jacket that Max had handed down to her last year. She dug way, way, deep down into the back of the cavernous closet she had been awarded at Anne's, and there it was!

"_Nudge!_" came about three or four voices at once.

"I'm ready!" she yelled, opting to slide down the banister instead of walking, which would have taken twice the time. She leaned forward and back so that her weight and momentum would be just right to perform her little stunt…

It worked. She took a flying slide from the end of the banister through the open front door, and made a smooth landing where the flock was standing by the van.

"Ten," said Fang.

"Let's go," Iggy put in boredly.

They piled into the van, and Anne handed them all each some money for lunch. Nudge went to put it into her pocket, and she felt something already there. To her delight, a slightly torn twenty came out in her hand. _Sweet,_ Nudge sing-songed to herself, grinning as she put the money back in her pocket. _I get an extra Twinkie today._

**God, I'm bizarre. Hopefully this is coherent, after sleeping two and a half hours last night. And now I'm going to stay up late again tonight to bring in the New Year. Hoorah. And I'll just bet that not one of those hours is going to be spent doing homework. Like the good little schoolgirl I should be, and usually am.**

**Okay, rant over. Happy New Year… still.**


	3. Taking a Drive on a Pretty Road

**Natural Highs**

**Wow. That was, er… some updating there, wasn't it? Please don't stab me. You're much too kind and gentle of people to cause me bodily harm. …I hope.**

**Well, Tassel, hopefully you'll come home to this. Isn't that great?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did, I'd buy my own country and name it Maxopolis. Keep an eye out.**

Chapter 3: Taking a Drive on a Pretty Road

"I so wish you could see this, Ig," I said truthfully. The two of us were in the beat-up little car that CSM had given to the flock. The rest of them were high in the air. I was so jealous.

See, my wings were on the mend, thanks to the Flyboy incident of three days ago. I won't go into gory details, but with serious (and probably illegal) assistance from Mom and Jeb, I now had a driver's license to get me places. I had to beg the flock for company on the long, weary road, and only Iggy had volunteered. Some friends.

Nah, I'm just kidding. They had all slowed their speed in order for me to keep up – it must have been agonizing. I looked around at the scenery, marveling at how pretty the Oklahoma countryside looked this close to the ground.

"It's oddly relaxing, not being able to see you drive," Iggy responded to my comment. "If I could see right now, I'd probably be freaking out."

I elbowed him, and we both laughed. "I was not referring to watching my _driving_, Ig! It's the scenery. Who knew the ground could be this pretty?"

"As far as my opinion goes, I prefer the air myself. It feels nicer."

"Me too, but still. You can't deny that it's… nice."

With a sigh, we settled into a complacent silence, nothing but the droning country music audible now.

**Tada…? I hope this was as good as the others were. My writing style's decreased in quality lately. Well, that's what I get for not updating in half a year.**

…**Again, please don't hurt me.**


	4. Falling in Love

**Natural Highs**

**I feel triumphant. I UPDATED! See the writing-induced muscles in my hands and cower as I flex them. I! AM! …Supercrazy.**

**Disclaimer: If you sue me, I will cry. Not because of the suit, but out of joy that anyone thinks I'm THAT good a writer.**

Chapter 4: Falling in Love

Love is remarkable. It can make you want to laugh, cry, dance, and die all at the same time. I would know. I've experienced it.

When I look at him, time seems to stop. My heartbeat accelerates, and it's the most exhilarating feeling in the world, even more so than flying. (Outwardly, my eyes glaze over, and I'm sure I've drooled on occasion. The boys won't let it go.)

But no matter how much Fang rides me for my behavior, I've caught him staring too. I don't think I'll ever find anything funnier than seeing Captain Stoic blush.

And then Fang will get mad at me for laughing at him (boys: touchier than they care to admit) and we'll get into a biting, if short, argument. It's never really very hard to reconcile, though – one brief look across the table, apology in his eyes, and the tension's gone.

Through dogfights with our adversaries, peaceful (or at least as peaceful as we can muster) meals at the table, and all-nighters team-writing his blog, I know Fang will always be by my side, because he loves me.

And because he promised. But still. He totally can't hide it.

**Wow – did I succeed? For once, did I write good fluff? Probably… not. Eh, it was worth a shot. And now, please enjoy the following subliminal messaging:**

**Has anyone seen REVIEW **_**A Very Potter Musical**_** on REVIEW Youtube? I'm pimping it out in all REVIEW my fics. You should totally REVIEW watch it. I'm just REVIEW sayin'.**


	5. Holding Hands

**Natural Highs**

**How was NaNoWriMo? Anybody do it? Tell me your escapades in reviews, and I'll probably tell you only chilling episodes of horror and mild boredom in return. (Okay, sorry. That was actually unintentional; the whole "review plz!" thing, that is. I would not be opposed to the idea, however…)**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to James Patterson. However, the ridiculous ideas and situations in which I place them belong to **_**me.**_** *evil grin***

Chapter 5: Holding Hands with Someone You Care About

"_Boys_," I grumbled as I held some underwear out from me like it was diseased – which it probably was, come to think of it. Said boys were in the living room, watching a manly-testosterone-fueled hunting show on Animal Planet while I cleaned their rooms. I hadn't actually _told_ them that part, though, since I'd probably not make it out of that conversation alive. But hey, their rooms needed _fumigation_. It had to happen sometime.

_BLAM!_ "YEAH!" Iggy yelled. "GET THAT DEER DEAD!"

"It's not a deer, stupid," Fang replied. "It's a lion!"

"And I'm supposed to know that _how?_"

I tuned them out, turning my thoughts instead to where the kids were. I hadn't seen or heard them in a few hours, so I hauled myself out from under Iggy's bed and peered out the window. Lo and behold, there they were, out in the backyard.

I joined Gazzy, who was lying in the grass. "What's up?"

"The sky."

"Hi-larious," I said drily. "Where are the girls?"

"They went back inside."

The Gasman and I lay mutely for a while, looking up at the wind-propelled clouds.

"Max?" Gazzy finally broke the silence. I looked at him, my hair blowing in my face.

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Does Fang not like me?" he asked in all seriousness.

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What would make you say that, Gasser?"

Gazzy sighed and sat up. "Well, you know how he never talks to anyone except you." Before I could interrupt, he held up a finger and continued, "And he and Iggy have been hanging out a lot, without me. I thought Iggy was supposed to be my best friend, but maybe he likes Fang more because he's older and cooler and less stinky."

"This isn't really about Fang, is it?" I pinpointed, brushing Gaz's too-long hair out of his face. His little seven-year-old face shone with disappointment, a look that should never be on the face of a young child, as he shook his head.

I gathered Gazzy up into a hug, stroking his head. "You know, I feel just the same way, kid," I told him. "Fang's my best friend, and he hasn't been around anyone as much as Ig lately. But we can't just let those _boys_ distract us from the bigger picture of our whole flock – our whole family. Got it?"

The Gasman nodded, and we both stood up to head back into the house. Gazzy reached for my hand, and I took his small one, even though it was a bit grubby.

"What we need is _men_, Gaz," I continued as we walked up the yard.

"Yeah!" Gazzy agreed zealously. "…So, where are Nudge and Angel?"

**Poor things. They don't actually have men nearby. Ah, the pitfalls of living in a secluded house in the mountains.**

**Hey… who wants to do my poll? Only one person has done it, and that's someone I know from school (PorcelainNinja). Now, if I know who it is, what's the fun in having a poll at all? *sigh* *mock-sad head-shake* I am disappointed, guys. Unless you don't do Harry Potter, in which case it's cool. I suppose.**

**Again, sorry about not updating. It's just past November, so cut me some slack. I had to go at least a week without looking at another Word document. (Fun fact: blank documents make me twitchy and nervous.) Hopefully I'll be back again soon, and thanks for reading.**


	6. Playing with a New Puppy

**Natural Highs**

**Aww, snap. I just put my viola down and knocked it out of tune. I'm not quite sure how, as I was gentle while setting it down.**

**Anyway… I'm back soon! Aren't you excited? …Yeah. I didn't think so.**

**I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "But Ninja C – you're so smart and brave and sexy – shouldn't you be doing something worthwhile right now, instead of just resuming the process that you abandoned in November of wasting your life away on fanfiction?" to which I respond, "Why, yes. Yes, I should." As I previously mentioned, I'm practicing for my private lesson tomorrow (for the first time all week).**

**You're probably also thinking that I should be doing my homework. Oh, silly, silly readers. You are so funny sometimes.**

**Why, yes, I do realize that I am talking to an inanimate computer screen. I prefer to think of it as "bonding".**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Max Ride, although I do own a lovely set of the books, and they bring me great joy.**

Chapter 6: Playing with a New Puppy

"Roll over, Total! Roll over!"

The dog gave Angel a look of disdainful disbelief. Angel, taken aback, furrowed her little brow.

"Well, you don't have to be such a snob about it," she huffed, crossing her arms indignantly. Total rolled his eyes.

Angel thought for another moment. "Okay, pup," she came out of her reverie, "I have a proposition for you. If you can get over there and give Iggy a wedgie without him hearing, I'll let you sleep with Celeste tonight." Angel nodded her head triumphantly, confident that the chance to sleep with her prized stuffed bear would be enough to make the head of the UN blow up the world.

Total let out a little doggy-sigh and trotted over to the blind mutant. Angel watched him in anticipation. The little dog stopped behind Iggy, sniffed around his butt for a few seconds, found the waistband of his boxers, and –

"WHAT THE - ?" Iggy wheeled around on the spot, his arms groping for whatever had just caused a disturbance in his undergarments. Total scampered back to Angel's lap and leapt into it.

"Good job, boy!" Angel congratulated, holding her hand up for a high-five. Total swatted her palm with his paw lazily. Angel proffered Celeste.

Total gave Celeste a look of distaste, wrinkled his little snout, and said, "No, thank you. I just did it for the giggles."

Angel's eyes widened. Max called, "Ange! It's time for bed! Put the puppy to sleep and get some shut-eye."

Total's eyes widened in mockery. "Well, you don't have to be such a snob about it," he said cheekily, and lumbered out of Angel's lap to curl up in a ball and close his eyes. Angel picked him up and made her way over to the rest of the flock.

This would be an interesting addition to the party.

**Whee, another chapter! The reason I'm updating twice in a day is that I just realized that in twenty-three days, I will have had this fic up for a year… and I'll only have a few chapters done. Tell you what: I'll get to ten chapters by the end of the year, 'kay? 'Kay. (This is me telling myself, not really you guys. You're all awesome, but I need to acknowledge it first. Okay. Rambling's over.)**


	7. Getting a Hug

**Natural Highs**

**I got bored at school and wrote another one, so here you go.**

**Oh, and also, I realize that my chapter titles are really long and cheesy. It's not my fault, though. That's what they are on the list, so that's how I write them. Even though it kind of hurts my author complex.**

**Disclaimer: Me? Own Maximum Ride? Naw.**

Chapter 7: Getting a Hug from Someone You Care About Deeply

"MAX!" Nudge shouted, slamming Anne's front door. Iggy winced; even though he was in the kitchen, the noise still permeated his sensitive hearing.

_Where's the coriander_, he asked himself, planning on looking busy while Nudge darted through the house, looking for everyone.

"Angel?" he heard, just as he had predicted, accompanied by another _SLAM!_ "Gazzy? Max? Iggy? Fang? Anyo – oh, here you are!" The voice came from behind, and Iggy waved his spatula without bothering to turn around. "Where's everyone else? I just got home, 'cause I was taking a test that would get me extra credit, because I want to succeed and do well in school, like Max. She's so smart and – Anyway, no one's around, where are they all?"

Iggy let her finish uninterrupted, knowing she would only go into a lecture if he did. When she stopped, he went ahead. "I dunno. I think they may have gone with Anne somewhere – oh, no, wait. They're in the woods. I forgot they said that."

"Great; thanks, Ig!" Nudge's footsteps began to move away, but Iggy turned around and stopped her.

"Nudge?"

He heard her shoes squeak as she turned on the spot.

"Hmm?"

"How'd you do on that test?"

"I got a perfect score!" Nudge squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands gleefully. "Which means that my grade is a hundred and _one_ percent now! I'm so happy I could kiss you!"

"Let's settle for a hug instead," Iggy bargained, and he felt Nudge's arms slide around his torso. "Good job, Nudge."

Nudge skipped outside to tell the rest of the flock.

**NO, THAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IGGY/NUDGE. I don't do pairings unless they are explicitly in the books. Which kinda means only Fax for me. Sorry if that's how you swing, but I'm a canon freak.**


	8. A Hot Shower

**Natural Highs**

**Here's another, since I don't have to go anywhere for another hour. I might just keep going after this. I'm home alone, and that is somehow becoming synonymous with MASSIVE FANFIC UPDATE.**

**Aaaaaaand I'm too tired to be funny today. Deal with it.**

**Disclaimer: Remember, abduction is only borrowing characters without asking. Don't ask, Unigu Mika said it.**

Chapter 8: A Hot Shower

The knob squeaked as it turned, and hot water streamed out of the shower head. Wrapped securely in my towel, I eyed the pristine white shower walls warily.

_Calm down, Max,_ I coached myself, trying to make my feet step onto the tile. _It's a shower, for Pete's sake, not a minefield. Besides, if Ella and her mom can do it, so can you._

"It's just water," I murmured out loud, mentally slapping myself for my own irrationality. My wing throbbed a bit. I took a deep breath and went for it.

The water scalded me at first, making me squirm embarrassingly (but hey, that's why showers are private, right?), but after I cranked the knob down, like, six notches, it was a soothing downpour.

_This is where it's at_, I thought blissfully, grabbing some shampoo. I didn't care if it belonged to Marie Antoinette at some point; I just _had_ to get clean.

Twenty minutes later, I opened the door into the hall, steam pouring outside. Affixing Ella's robe around myself, I couldn't help but think that the rest of the gang would have loved this just as much as I had.

**Glee's on in an hour and nine minutes as I type this! I realize that most of you don't care, but it's my way of beating it into my brain so I don't miss it.**

**I just might be back later. MIGHT. Like, seriously, don't get your hopes up.**


	9. Knowing That Somebody Misses You

**Natural Highs**

**OH NO! I just looked at the prompt for this one! It's gonna be hard, and I'll have to exert… *groans* …effffforrrrrtttt. Ah, well. It's my vocation of choice, so it's a burden I shall have to bear. (Yeah, it'll be **_**so**_** hard to write a fanfic. I hate people who say that writing's hard. I mean, it is, but not if you have a really sweet idea. Know what I mean? Discuss in the reviews.)**

**Also, I feel like I owe you an explanation for updating freakishly all of a sudden. I know that earlier I said it was to reach ten chapters by the end of 2009 (well, we're chugging toward that goal, now aren't we?). Basically, I updated in, like… August or something, and then I started working more on my Harry Potter fics. In September, I decided it was time to start my break so that I could plan for NaNoWriMo, which I did, and which I won on the thirtieth of November (yay!). After that, I basically never wanted to see a Word document ever again, but after typing my obligatory chapter for One-Letter Stand (go to the profile of Tassel630 to read it), I was like, "THIS IS SO MUCH FUN WHY DID I EVER STOP DOING THIS?" So, yeah. Explanation probably going to be longer than the fic itself. We'll see.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. I rent.**

Chapter 9: Knowing That Somebody Misses You

Max looked at Fang and smiled. "Best friends forever?" she asked earnestly, and Fang nodded.

"Best friends forever."

They each stuck out their pinkies, sealing the deal with a definitive nod.

* * *

Max buried her head into Fang's shoulder, crying for the first time in his memory, in front of the flock and everything. They all stood soberly around a small wooden marker bearing Jeb's name in uneven carving.

* * *

Max yawned, stretching so that her pajama shirt rode up her torso. "Morning, guys," she said endearingly, her bangs falling into her eyes at breakfast.

* * *

Max fell from the sky, a look of mixed pain and numbness on her face, and Fang dove down to catch her, making a smart remark about her weight. Immediately he thought what a stupid thing that was to do: make fun of a girl's physique. But she shot back, as she always did, besting him again with her dry sarcasm.

She was the only person who could do that.

* * *

Max's figure was fuzzy, but it cleared up as Fang begged her – them, he meant _them_ – not to take him to the hospital. He tasted blood, and then – whoa. It felt like the world shifted just then.

* * *

Max was kissing that dweeb. Fang hated him right from the off, he'd tell you any day. And then they were up in Max's room, and she asked him if he would do anything to protect the rest of the gang, if something happened to her, something bad –

But he didn't mean it.

* * *

Speaking of bad, here's one: Max II. She seemed normal at first, all right, but Fang knew before any of the others that this was not their leader. She didn't have that spark.

* * *

"I – I'm not sure about this," Max said, backing away, and he wanted to yell, _No, come back!_ but she was already gone. He punched the cave wall, immediately regretting it.

And then Max was in front of his face, saying, "Fang… Fang…" calling him to her, and he followed.

* * *

"Fang? FANG!"

Fang yelped and punched out, feeling his fist connect with something. His eyes flew open. Oh, it was only a bird.

"Jeez, dude, jumpy much?" Iggy bristled, having felt the disturbance in the air and swerved aside just in time.

"Shut up." Fang moved closer to the fire, stoking it with a wayward stick.

"You were dreaming about Max, Fang," Gazzy informed him. No need, thanks, he was already aware of the fact. He'd been dreaming of her for weeks now, ever since they left, in fact. Left with that _thing_. Fang's face grew, if possible, even harder and more stoic.

"You were, like, moaning her name," Iggy added. "What, are you, like, in love with her or something?"

Fang didn't say anything, but the words imprinted themselves on the inside of his skull. It was funny – he'd never thought of that possibility before. But the weird burning sensation he suddenly felt in his stomach – and, uh-oh, on his face – told Fang that this was spot-on.

Fang was in love with Maximum Ride.

"I miss Max," the Gasman sighed after a few moments of waiting for a response from Fang that they were not going to get.

Iggy grew sober, the light in his eyes dulled. "I miss them all," he concurred.

Still Fang said nothing, just let possibilities run through his head. She would come back to him and run into his arms, smiling the beautiful smile that so rarely graced her features… She would find a way to contact him from wherever they were now, that melancholy edge to her voice telling him that she needed comfort, and he'd be only too happy to give her that… "I miss you," she'd say, and he could picture her teeth biting her lower lip.

Did she? Did she miss him as much as he was realizing he missed her?

"Of course she does," the Gasser said. Fang blinked in surprise. He'd spoken that last part aloud. "You're best friends."

"I'm sure she misses all of us," Iggy assured Fang, but it sounded as though he was trying to convince himself instead. "I'm sure of it." Iggy rolled over to face the dark woods, his back to the other two.

"She smiles at you, Fang," Gazzy pointed out. "She smiles at you the most. I think she misses you."

Fang let a wry smile slip through his hard look, and he ruffled Gazzy's hair. "Go back to bed, kid."

They both laid back down on the ground, and Fang went back to his dreams and memories of his beautiful, his wonderful, his sorely missed Maximum.

**Awwww. I made a cutie. (This may or may not have been spurred on by the season finale of Glee. I'm jus' sayin'.)**

**I never knew Fang was such a softie.**


	10. Watching the Sunrise

**Natural Highs**

**Chapter ten? Already? This is crazy. I met my goal with three weeks to spare. That's not to say that I'll be leaving you guys for a long time again, just that I can work on my other stories again now. Huzzah!**

**Disclaimer: If I had a dollar for every time someone mistook me for JP… I'd be broke.**

Chapter 10: Watching the Sunrise

The Gasman sat atop the dewy hill, his arms crossed over his bent knees. The rest of the flock lay scattered around him, except Fang, whose head lay against his chest in the tree above them.

Gaz didn't know why he had woken up, only that he was up, and he couldn't fall back asleep. Pale blue showed over the horizon, and Gazzy knew the sun must be coming up.

"Gasman?"

Gazzy turned to see Fang peering down at him. "Why are you still up?"

"I just woke up," the Gasman explained. "I didn't stay up or anything; Max would have caught me."

Fang leapt from the branch, his wings billowing behind him for a soft, feet-first landing. He made his way over to Gazzy, taking care not to step on Nudge, and sat down.

"I always watch the sunrise," Fang told Gazzy. It felt weird – Fang never really talked to anyone besides Max, at least not about deep things that would make him open up. The Gasman was, for once, receptive, knowing that this was a rare occurrence in flock-world. "I just always seem to wake up right before it. And so I get to watch the birth of every new day."

The Gasman shivered in the morning breeze. Fang, not seeming to notice what he was doing, leaned over and zipped up Gazzy's sweatshirt for him. He was obviously coming into a sort of responsibility, as Max had been instructing him to for so long. Gazzy wondered if that was intentional on Fang's part.

"I like it when you talk, Fang," Gazzy confessed, feeling a surge of love toward his surrogate brother.

"Yeah," Fang agreed as the sun's top arc came over the vista ahead. "I've been known to do it now and again."

**Aww, brotherly love. I'm starting to actually realize how sucky I am at these, like, flock-interaction-things. Because even though I know that they love each other like nothing else, sometimes (most of the time) these topics feel forced. It makes me feel all icky and fraudulent inside.**


	11. A Bubble Bath

**Natural Highs**

**I need a life. I've just been on Fanfiction all week. Ah, well. I'm in first period right now, when I don't have a class, so I snuck up to the IMC to do this. I am so weird.**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson is a junior in high school?! I had no idea!**

Chapter 11: A Bubble Bath

"Dum dum da dum," Angel hummed as she splashed in the bathtub. Bubbles coated her hands, and she floated back a bit to admire her handiwork.

A huge column of bubbles rose tipsily from the surface of the water in which Angel was sitting, and she eyed it appraisingly. A sharp nod determined that her work here was done, and Angel stepped out of the tub and trod back a few feet, not bothering with a towel.

Suddenly, she let out a fierce yell and charged at the bathtub. Her little wings flapped rapidly to hoist her up into the air, and she dropped into the tall pile of bubbles as she went over it. The tub's water spilled over the edge and soaked the rug on the floor.

"Eureka!" Angel said, just for posterity.

"Angel, what are you doing in there?" Max called from outside the door.

"Nothing."

**Wow, I remember when I used to do that. It's been at least… a week. Week and a half, tops. XD**

**So our school was out of power this morning, and I may or may not have spent the time before they called us to our units running around the school and pretending I was Harry Potter, sneaking into the Restricted Section. I'll let you decide if I'm lying or not. (Because the answer to that isn't obvious AT ALL.)**


	12. Road Trips with Friends

**Natural Highs**

**Guh. This computer is the worst in our house, so if there are a bunch of stupid mistakes, I'm sorry.**

**Disclaimer: When you wish upon a star, you become James Patterson… Oh, are you serious? I'm wrong? Back to the drawing board.**

Chapter 12: Road Trips with Friends

"Are they asleep?" I asked, blinking blearily from behind the wheel of our new sto– _borrowed_ SUV.

Fang looked into the back of the car. "Yup," he affirmed, turning back to the front. I sighed, more out of boredom than anything else.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked, sharp eyes locked on me.

"Nothing," I assured defensively. "I'm just tired, that's all."

Fang began to shift over to me, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Here, let me switch with you - "

"I can drive!" Iggy yelled, popping up in the rearview mirror beside my headrest. I yelped and reflexively hit the brakes. Fang fell forward, and when the car stopped, his face slid down the windshield and he crumpled onto the floor beneath the dashboard.

"NO, YOU CANNOT DRIVE!" I yelled ill-temperedly (ha, there's an understatement).

Iggy pulled a face. "Why not?"

"Because you're _BLIND!_" I pointed out in a "duh" voice.

"Wuzzgoinon?" the Gasman asked confusedly.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what happened?!" Nudge freaked from the backseat. Angel didn't stir, miraculously. Iggy joined the clamor by continuing to loudly complain about my injustice.

They all grew louder, no matter how hard I tried to get their attention or shut them up. Finally, I grabbed Fang and righted him in his seat, making sure to buckle his seatbelt. I leapt back into my position in the driver's seat and floored it.

The kids all flew back in their seats. I braked almost immediately, and they launched forward. Nudge started to whine, but I gave her a look, and she shut her mouth, wide-eyed.

Satisfied, I slowly accelerated once more. "Lovely drive, isn't it?" I asked Fang, who lifted his eyebrow.

**Anyone who can tell me what Gazzy's line is from gets Christmas cheer. From me. You're excited. I can tell.**


	13. Knowing You've Done the Right Thing

**Natural Highs**

**Oh, **_**hell.**_** This has got to be the stupidest title (by stupid, I just mean cheesy) I've had to do so far. See, I just found this list online, and I randomized all of the components, and I've basically sold my soul to… myself… in an attempt to write stuff I usually wouldn't touch. So I have to do this one. Even though it's almost too much for me. *collapses into heap of cheesiness***

**In other facets of my life, I have news. If you do the math, I've written enough on this fic in the past month that if you average the number of chapters to the number of days I've been writing this, I (technically) have written one chapter every twenty-nine days. Other than February, I'VE BEATEN THE MONTHS!**

**Now let's take that last bitch down.**

**Disclaimer: JP is good with deadlines, or so it would seem from the amount of books he gets out, like, every day. I can't even seem to follow my self-constituted bedtime of anytime before midnight. (I was up till 4:30 this morning, and my mom woke up at noon. I kinda wanted to kill her.)**

Chapter 13: Knowing You've Done the Right Thing, No Matter What

Ari was a snorer, as we all found out in the basement/dungeon of Itex.

"Someone find the off button," Nudge groaned and rolled over. I sighed in turn.

"Looks like _someone's_ having second thoughts about bringing Wolfman on this journey," Total suggested. I glared at the pup.

"Hey, look who's talkin', furball." Ari snuffled in his sleep and twitched.

I looked away, averting my gaze out to the hall beyond our bars. Maybe it _hadn't_ been such a great course of action. If we'd left Ari, we'd still be with Fang and the other boys.

_Fang._ My heart did a weird (no, seriously, _really weird_) flop, torn between a desire to have him as my right-hand man again, and a boiling fury at the image of his face. He was a right pig for ditching us; who does that?! Did Robin ever fly out on Batman? Wasn't Watson always at Sherlock's side? Haven't Harry Potter and Ron Weasley always been… okay, bad analogy. If Fang had been here, we wouldn't even be in this freakin' chicken coop right now!

I got up and kicked one of the bars, creating a loud clanging noise and a minor throbbing in my foot that I barely noticed. Angel, who had also been asleep, and Ari both stirred awake. Ari rubbed his eyes, his not-exactly-awesome mutated eyes taking a while to adjust to the light. _Of course, if it weren't for Ari, we wouldn't be here either._

"Max?" Ari called tremulously, and as my leaderly head swiveled to see what was wrong, unable to resist a questioning call, I saw a little boy sitting in the shadow. The same boy he had always been, for seven years. He was only _seven._

As much as I hated to admit it, I had to grudgingly acknowledge that he was here with us, and that wasn't about to change.

**Guhhhh. I had a gameplan for this chapter, but as soon as I sat down, I forgot it. I FORGOT IT! How does that even **_**happen?**_** Anyway, this improv-ed one is probably not as good as I'd predicted this chapter would be. It was a really good idea, too.**

**Also, feel free to send me ideas for more natural highs in reviews or PMs. I only have, like… *counts* …a hundred and fifty-eight. (I know, so paltry.) But I would really like to hear some input; the stories are, after all, for the reader's enjoyment. (I'm running out of space in the designated section of my notebook for me to put them all down! I see this as a good thing.)**

**Happy Christmas Eve Eve, and happy holidays to the rest of you folks.**


	14. Running Through Sprinklers

**Natural Highs**

**It's been a year and a day with this fic. It feels… weird.**

**One of my goals for 2010 is kinda crazy. You will all think I'm insane. I am going to write one fanfic every day for the whole year. It's partially to improve my record, and partially to improve my writing style. They won't all be on this (because I have other fics and oneshots I want to write), but I think it'll be beneficial.**

**Disclaimer: I'm too tired. Don't hate me.**

Chapter 14: Running Through Sprinklers

Jeb had installed sprinklers in the front yard. You know, before he died. Obviously, they were just to water the parched grass, but apparently my little heathens had other ideas.

"HOLY WET!" Gazzy yelled upon looking out the window. "Look at the water coming out of the ground!"

"We have a sprinkler?" Nudge squealed, looking excitedly at me. I in turn looked to Fang, who was giving me his famous furrowed brow.

"Actually, guys, that's not - "

"Let's go play!" Angel yelled, and she peeled out the door with the other two on her tail. Iggy darted outside after them, and Fang and I stood in the door.

"Not cool, kids!" I yelled out at them. I had a reason for being so obnoxious about something as simple as sprinklers. They were installed for a purpose, and, like the flock ourselves, were meant only for that purpose. Did the spigots all have little frivolous elephant heads on them and make funny noises? No. Therefore, they should not be toyed with.

"WAHOO!"

I turned to see Iggy leap through one of the jets, his eyes alight with a sparkle I hadn't seen since we first got out of the School. He was still just getting over his sudden blindness of three years past, and I got the feeling he liked to do this thing that the rest of us were doing, because it didn't require sight, only touch to feel the water.

On second thought, the sprinklers weren't so bad.

**But that chapter was. Everyone go over to One Letter Stand, the other Max Ride fic I do on Tassel630's page, and bully her into writing the next chapter. And wish me luck on this.**


	15. Swinging on Swings

**Natural Highs**

**Day two of my endeavour, and only 73 days left till Fang!**

…**No… I'm not counting…**

**I'm feeling much better (less tired, more showered), so hopefully this childish chapter is better than yesterday's. A LOT better.**

**Disclaimer: I wish I had my own release date to which to look forward, but I'm just not that cool. Yet.**

Chapter 15: Swinging on Swings

Children of all ages darted to and fro across the playground in the Virginia sun. Nudge glanced around the playground, searching for something to do. Well, besides unfurling her wings and streaking off into the air. Max wouldn't like that, but she was just _dying_ to.

"I'M FLYIIIIIING!"

Nudge's head whipped around, to see who was flying now when she couldn't. But the skies were empty, and none of these kids had wings… she thought.

Her eyes lit upon the playground equipment, and she noticed the Gasman sliding down the huge yellow plastic slide face-first.

"Krystal!" Nudge turned after a moment, still getting accustomed to her new (though cool) name. Three of the girls in her class had run up to her, pointing at the swingset.

"There's one free!" Allison informed her.

"Finally," Jodie added. "We can all take turns, right?"

Nudge took off with them, and after waiting through Marissa's turn, she was on the swing, reaching out to the blue sky. And then at the top of her swing, she had let go, and she was in the air, even though she had to remind herself to fall, not to fly.

Maybe this could do. For now.

**Okay, ow. Did I say I felt better? Well, now my tooth is hurting. I don't like this.**

**Only one more day till school. Someone kill me so I won't have to take midterms.**


	16. Rain

**Natural Highs**

**69 days till Fang. *snort***

**Disclaimer: Maybe by the end of the year, I will have written as much as JP. …Yeah, in my dreams.**

Chapter 16: Lying in Bed Listening to the Rain Outside

_Patter, patter, patter._

_Creeeeeak._

I flipped onto my back faster than a pancake. (Note to self: never use that phrase again.) The terror that Max had successfully instilled in the kids had evidently had its way with me, too. Unfortunately, the bed creaked, so the element of surprise I held over the intruder was broken.

"Fang?"

Was that really… Max? She sounded so… timid. Birdlike vision was already a part of my makeup, but I squinted my eyes anyway, to see for sure. Yep, it was definitely Max.

Wondering why I was being so doubtful all of a sudden, I sat up. "Yo." Max didn't say anything, just stood there and began biting her lip. Okay, here was a Maximum I'd never seen before; none of us had. "What's the matter?" I asked in alarm, rising from the bed.

Max dithered in her head for a little bit, and then finally said, "Can I…"

"Can you… what?"

A steely look came into the leader's face, and she immediately hissed, "None of this goes out of this door. Got it?"

"Uh… got it." I was officially confused, though I wasn't going to show it.

"I was wondering… ifIcouldstaywithyou."

Heh. I heard her loud and clear. "What's that?" I leaned in closer to her face, fighting back a smile at Max's sign of "weakness". "You were speaking too quietly."

Max looked up at the ceiling and repeated loudly, "CAN I STAY WITH YOU TONIGHT."

"Ow, okay, not _that_ loud," I complained. A clap of thunder, though light, seemed to go through Max's entire body, and she latched herself onto me. Surprised, I grabbed the other side of her head to hold it close to my chest, but she seemed to have realized what she was doing, and sprang back. The cold brushed against me, but I didn't say anything.

"You're really freaked out by this, aren't you?" I asked, amazed that I had found a fear in our fearless flock mother. "I never knew you're afraid of thunder."

"Well, have we ever flown in the rain before?" Max retorted.

"No, that'd be completely dumb," I scoffed.

Max raised her eyebrow pointedly.

"Point taken." I yawned and slid back under the covers, squishing up against the wall so Max could slide in next to me. She didn't move, so I patted the bed, and she slowly climbed in with me. I wrapped my arm around her once she had settled herself, and one of her feathers began to tickle my face, but I didn't care.

The rain pattered on above our heads, and I felt Max drift to sleep. I kissed her cheek lightly and floated off in turn.

**Okay, I didn't mean to make that so creepy, but it turned out that way. It seems that even though I see myself as a terrible fluff writer, it's actually some of my best. That's… weird. Like, I recognize it, but I still refuse to acknowledge it. I just never see myself as a fluffy person.**

**On another note… mmmmmm. Food. *buries face in sandwich* Om nom nom.**

**Can you tell I started this earlier and am only now finishing, when I am extremely sleep-deprived?**


	17. Making Chocolate Chip Cookies

**Natural Highs**

**Okay, so I'm really, really tired. I've spent the whole day skiing (it was a snow day, thank God), and I'm all sore. But probably not as sore as my sister, who may have broken both her hands today at her dive meet.**

***exhales slowly* …Yeah.**

**Disclaimer: JP has a life. All I need to say.**

Chapter 17: Making Chocolate Chip Cookies

Max and Ella

One kitchen to themselves

Online recipe

Clouds of fluffy flour

Butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla

Ingredients Max won't remember until the next time she comes to visit Mom

Oven, anticipation

Ding

Delicious.

**Weird, I know, but it's late, meaning that I can't think, and that I only have twenty minutes until midnight, and I have to write one fanfic every day, so I do what I must. (Also my uncle's here and we're making milkshakes. *first chapter reference* Yum.)**


	18. Watching the Look on Someone's Face

**Natural Highs**

**This one's coming late because I slept until eleven this morning, and proceeded to be completely useless for the remainder of the day. Yay lethargy.**

**Disclaimer: If I were JP, I would be free to do nothing for the rest of my life, as he is financially sealed for life and out of high school.**

Chapter 18: Watching the Expression on Someone's Face as They Open a Much-Desired Present From You

"We're back!" I hollered as Iggy closed the door. It was time for one of our biannual store raids in the flock house, what with Jeb gone. He had left small deposits of money around the house for us to find at times like this, almost as if he knew he was going to die or something. But it's not like we could just waltz into a store and buy things, like normal people, so we snuck in around closing time (and sometimes after). Well, actually, we probably could just waltz in, but I wasn't going to tell the kids that. Security is only one step from inattentiveness.

Iggy and I dumped the groceries with which our arms and backpacks were laden onto the kitchen table, already covered with our crap. Well, only a fraction of it was mine, but still. Ours.

"Ick," I muttered, stepping back from the table. "This place needs a good cleaning."

Iggy groaned, and I removed something from one of the plastic bags, placing it in my pocket. (Hey, no one there could see.) "I'm not gonna get to play with the water gun today, am I?"

"Nope. Sorry, dude. KIDS!"

Angel and Nudge rounded the corner from their room, eyes alight at the prospect of food that didn't come from a can. Well, for a week, maybe, but then it was back to nonperishables. Gazzy tripped along behind them from the bathroom, zipping up his pants.

"Where's Fang?"

"I'm right here, goon." I turned, and there Fang was. He was kinda creepy sometimes. Anyway.

"Now that we have new sustenance," I addressed my gang, "we need to put it away, otherwise it will go bad way before it should. I need Iggy to clean out the fridge, Gazzy and myself will tackle the bathroom, and Angel can tidy up the TV room. Fang and Nudge, go work on all the bedrooms. Got it?"

"Got it, Max," Angel said sweetly.

"Okay. Hop to it!" The group scattered, and I felt like an army commander. They must have really wanted a good dinner, because they weren't complaining. Like, _at all_. I was impressed.

Nudge skittered past me, and I put out a hand to her shoulder to hold her back. "But you wait a sec," I instructed, and removed the object from the corner and held it out to her.

Nudge's eyes widened, and she grasped the object with both hands. "Shampoo?" she squealed. "And for _curly_ hair?!" she went on as she read the label fully.

"Yep," I confirmed, smiling and nodding. It was amazing how excited a ten-year-old could get about hygienic goods. But then, the rest of us were pretty apathetic towards cleanliness, and she had been complaining about it, young girl that she was. "But you can't use it until you finish cleaning up, and you have to share with any of us if we want to be clean." That was, after all, why I had gotten the huge-o industrial size.

Nudge threw her arms around my waist. "I will, I will!" she agreed. "Thanks, Max!"

"No prob," I replied as she ran off to do her jobs.

Fang passed me to join Nudge in the cleaning extravaganza. "That was oddly… nice," he commented.

"Eh, I have my moments," I replied, smiling at the memory of Nudge's expression.

**D'aww, Max is such a softy.**

**Also, there are currently 67 days until Fang. Tassel630, Akira43, and I set up a tape measure in my room so that every inch equals one more day until the release, as a kind of tangible countdown, and now, not only is "Fang" as tall as me, but his countdown is also the exact length of my dresser. XD**


	19. Looking Into Their Eyes

**Natural Highs**

**DON'T JUDGE ME I WAS BUSY AND NOW IT'S LATE AT NIGHT SO I'M RUSHING THROUGH THIS OKAY.**

**Disclaimer: JP meets his deadlines, now doesn't he?**

Chapter 19: Looking Into Their Eyes and Knowing They Love You

Nudge called me and Fang cute. I stuck my tongue out at her.

Iggy told Fang he could _hear_ us looking at each other. I know, right?

Gazzy never notices anything; at least I don't think he does. He's an eight-year-old boy, thank God. The only one in this house to not throw a fit every time Fang and I are in the same room. Jeez.

And Angel tries to be a sweet, innocent little lamb about it all, but she sends me her half-bewildered-half-amused thoughts CONSTANTLY.

And here I thought I was being discreet about my, er… fondness for Fang.

I mean, it's been a while since we've had any downtime. Interpersonal relationships haven't exactly been up there on the priority chart. But now that we're at Mom's for who knows how long, Fang and I have to see each other pretty… regularly.

NO I DO NOT LISTEN AT HIS DOOR WHAT ARE YOU INSINUATING.

A tap sounded on the window where I sat, pondering these conundrums and others. Okay, maybe no others. But still. Pondering.

_Come outside, Max!_ Angel said from the yard below the window. _You've been inside all day._

_Coming_, I promised, rising from Ella's comfy chair and opening the door.

Fang knelt on the other side of the jamb, his eyes wide.

"Fang?!" I asked, although I could clearly see that it was, indeed, Fang sitting there. "What are you doing?"

"Don't tell anyone," was all he said, imploring me with his eyes.

"Which part, that you were listening at my door, or that you've gone beet red for the first time in your life?" I queried, burning inside with rapturous mirth that he had been caught in the act where _I _hadn't.

"You do it all the time."

Oh.

I smirked at the ground, my thoughts drifting.

"Max?" My head snapped back up, and Fang was standing upright again. I opened my mouth to make a snazzy comeback, but I forgot what it was when our eyes met.

That sparkle was in them that only came out when Fang was truly happy, but there was something else in them as well. I didn't dare name it, for pride-preservation.

"Let's go outside." Fang grabbed my hand, and this time, I couldn't stop my smile, because I knew this wasn't a come-on-let's-go-don't-make-me-force-you grasp this time.

**God, every time I try to type "Fang", I misspell it and it comes out as "Fag". And then I die, partially of laughter, and partially of shame. I've written a freaking **_**novel**_**; shouldn't I be a better typist by now?**


	20. Hearing Your Favorite Song on the Radio

**Natural Highs**

**Phew. Back on track. Now I can rest easy tonight. …If I **_**ever**_** rest tonight. I have way too much to do. Let's just get on with it, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson would be WAAAAY more creative with his disclaimers than I am.**

Chapter 20: Hearing Your Favorite Song on the Radio

Wait – radio?

We didn't steal a radio. No, of course we didn't, why would you say such a thing?

…Well, we were bored, okay?

No, I don't mean that was the _motivation_ for stealing the – I mean borrowing – oh, this is all coming out wrong. Let's just say Mom gave us a radio, and then we'll all be happy and none the wiser, 'kay?

Okay.

"I like this new thing," Gazzy said, lying on his face in the grass of the nice public park we were in for a rest.

"It's kinda loud," Iggy complained – but only mildly, so I let it go.

A softly picked guitar came on as the station transitioned from song to song.

"I love this one," Nudge said lethargically, in the same facedown position as Gazzy. Actually, we all looked like that. I tried to keep my eyes open, even though Iggy had claimed watch for tonight. But we had flown for so _long_ and I was so _sleepy_… and that song, all of our favorite song (mostly because we'd only heard a few songs, _ever_), was treacherously trying to lull me to sleep with its dreamy melody. I almost wanted to smack it off, but I was too…

**I dunno. I thought it was a nice idea for a story. Them all falling asleep to their favorite song. As you may have inferred, I enjoy taking a different view of these natural highs than the ones most people would immediately think of. What can I say? I'm a creative mind.**

**And now "Fang" is shorter than me. *sigh* At least that means it's that much closer to being IN MY HANDS now. I'm freakin' out. Dunno about you guys, but I am FREAKIN' OUT.**

**I'm going to "bed." And by "bed", I mean "to reread **_**The Scarlet Letter**_** under the covers."**


	21. Overhearing

**Natural Highs**

**Jeez, I've been on this one a lot, haven't I? (Of course, for my HP fic, I have to think up an idea every time. With this one, I have them all written down. XD *cheater*)**

**In other news, my friend Talvana (also on ; you should look her up) is forcing me to audition for the school musical. Huh.**

**Disclaimer: *lols at the idea of James Patterson in a musical***

Chapter 21: Accidentally Overhearing Someone Say Something Nice About You

"Yeah, Iggy's funny, I suppose, but I think I love Max the most."

My head involuntarily cocked to the side. Turns out, when the house is clean, you can _hear_ things people are saying in other rooms. Wild, huh?

I put my milk down as Iggy said petulantly, "Gee, thanks."

"No, it's not that I don't like you, Ig," Nudge tried to cover. "It's just that Max takes care of us."

"Wait, what are we talking about?" Gazzy asked, and I could sense the confusion in his tone. Oh, Gasman. Must've just walked in.

"Well, Iggy said Fang was his favorite, because we were bugging him but Fang wasn't," Angel explained in a rambling voice. "So Nudge and him started arguing about favorites, and Nudge said Max is her favorite. She's mine too." The warm glow of pride surged through my veins. I was the favorite of _two_ bird kids. Beat that.

"I like Max too!" Gazzy interjected, not wanting to be left out of the claiming.

"This feels like Truth or Dare," Iggy chortled. "You all spilling your favorite person, and all."

"I like her because she's pretty and she tucks me in, like a mommy, even though she's not my actual mommy," Angel clarified her reasoning sweetly. D'awww. Stop it, I'm blushing.

"Even though she takes away our stuff sometimes, I still love Max," Gazzy went on with his explanation.

"She's really brave, you know, when we're fighting and stuff," Nudge cut in. "Who's your favorite, Fang?"

There was a silence. I could tell Fang was pondering.

"Max," he said finally. Nothing else. But still. _I'm_ totally the majority favorite.

The air in the next room grew expectant. After a moment, Iggy cracked.

"All right, she's my favorite too," he blurted. Cheers went up across the wall, as well as in my head. I was unanimous! "I feel like she gets me, you know? You wouldn't think of Max as an empathetic being, but she is…"

I retreated to my room so as to do a short happy dance undisturbed, leaving Iggy's thought trailing behind me.

**Yay Max. She does rather rock, doesn't she?**

**So for a lot of the latest chapters, the prompts have been really cheesy and dorky, and when I look to see what they are so I can actually write the fic, my brain starts to hurt a little and my teeth rot a bit too. Wait – what's the next one? *checks list* Oh, okay, this one isn't completely smooshy. Hooray.**


	22. Laughing at Yourself

**Natural Highs**

**FRRT. Don't judge me, I had exams last week. Now that it's MLK day, I have free time, but I discovered that even though there was no homework (I mean, we just took exams), I'm more screwed than ever in all facets of my life. So today is catch-up day (hopefully).**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson wouldn't **_**need**_** to come back.**

Chapter 22: Laughing at Yourself

My life was getting more complicated by the second.

I still had five kids and a dog to care for (even if two of them were my age); Mom and Ella were both swamped with school and work, and had therefore discouraged us from going over there because we wouldn't really ever see them; and now the Wordless Wonder had started going around telling me his feelings and kissing me everywhere we went. Sometimes, I just wished the whole world would go away.

Of course, when we were flying, it did just that. Except in the case of the last party.

Said party (AKA Fang) turned his head sharply, having sensed someone looking at him intently.

Which may or may not have been me.

I let out a little gasp and snapped my head back forward –

Just in time to run headlong into a rock projection.

_HOLY. EFF._

If you have never hit your face on a cliff, you haven't felt pain.

I felt myself fall helplessly down, unable to operate my wings out of pain. But then Fang flew beneath me and caught me, as I somehow knew he would. (This just proves that I'm creepy, doesn't it?)

After I had righted myself and the flock had obsessed over me again (I'm the only one that these things seem to happen to) Fang flew next to me, above everyone else.

All he said was, "That could have been messy." But then I pictured myself running into the cliff from the viewpoint of a bystander (byflyer?) and started cracking up for no apparent reason, to the rest of the flock.

Fang had to dive down and catch me again, for the reason that I couldn't focus long enough to flap my wings.

**God. This is turning into Fax Central.**

…**I LIKE BEING FAX CENTRAL!!!11!!121!**

**Of course, it's also becoming Really-Really-Bad-Fic Central, as well as Central For Fics-That-Are-Only-Written-Because-They're-Easy-Prompts-And-I'm-Too-Lazy-To-Write-Anything-Else.**

**I like hyphens.**


	23. Getting Mail

**Natural Highs**

**I'm finding this fic a lot weirder as I progress. Maybe because I feel like I don't know my readers very well, like I know the readers of my other huge Harry Potter fic, so I feel kinda like I'm going this insane, 150-plus-chapter-long journey alone; maybe because I'm just not as comfortable with the Max Ride fandom (and let's be honest, a lot of them are just "converted" Twilight freaks – I say "freaks" as in "fanatics", not "weirdoes"); and maybe because I'm not as good at writing serious stuff as I am at comedy. I dunno.**

**Disclaimer: Weird things are not JP's specialty.**

Chapter 23: Getting Mail

_Beep._

_Beepbeepbeep._

"All right, all right, I'm coming," Fang muttered, hoisting himself from the chair he had just settled into. He knew he'd forgotten to do something; apparently that something was to turn off the volume on the laptop. As more and more people read his blog, more people were beginning to email and message him, to the point of annoyance.

Fang pried open the laptop, its screen lighting up Dr. Martinez's dark living room.

_Four new messages._

Fang quickly disabled any more emails from getting through, and proceeded to respond to a fraction of his fans.

After deleting three _you sound soo hawtt _messages from prepubescent girls, Fang was surprised to see that the last email had an actual subject.

**Role models**

Fang quickly opened the message, and encountered a rather more lengthy spiel than those he usually received.

_Dear mysterious Fang,_

_At school, my class was asked to write the classic essay about our role model, and I chose you. I'm not sure if you'll ever get this email, but I just wanted to tell you how inspiring you are to me. You're smart, even if you do make some spelling errors, you're sarcastic and funny, and, in agreement with all of these crazy girls who have been directed here from that weird Twilight website, you sound pretty attractive. (I'm a guy, by the way, so don't think I'm weird or desperate.) I've read some of your posts to my class, and most of them display a huge interest in the issues you bring up in them. Now the bullies and popular kids who used to ignore me include me in some things they do, since I've proved to be, and I quote, "deep, man"._

_Thank you, for everything you are and everything you've given to me._

_-Mitch_

Holy crap. Fang muted his laptop and let the other emails filter through again, but closed it without looking at any of the new ones. He had no idea he was that influential.

As Fang settled into the easy chair once more, a smile spread across his face that Gazzy would see when he came to wake him up the next morning.

**So I'm sitting here listening to the Wild Things soundtrack and crying my eyes out to distract myself from the way my life just did a complete 180 and makes me want to kill myself. Good time, no?**

**I'm sorry, people. I'm trying to incorporate the whole "natural high" thing into every chapter, but it's becoming more of a write-this-prompt kinda thing instead of explain-how-it-makes-them-happy. I'm useless and failtastic.**


	24. Your First Kiss

**Natural Highs**

**Blehbitty blarf barf life sucks. SO IMMA WRITE.**

**That's how you know you're a writer. When life sucks BIG TIME, you just HAVE to write. Lots. When I'm finished with these fics that I need to catch up on, I'm starting on my novel again. Yaaaay.**

**Disclaimer: Maybe at this rate, I WILL be as prolific as JP. I dunno.**

Chapter 24: Your First Kiss

How to say it…

_How to say it…_

I like Fang.

_I like Max._

…A lot.

_...Way more than I should._

I kissed him back on that beach out of a COMPULSION. It was… kinda scary.

_That kiss? Yeah, that one five minutes ago? I think I'm mistaking CPR grossly. But it felt… awesome._

He must think I'm some sort of freak. Just homing in and giving any guy a great big smackaroo.

_I know I have to talk to her and hang around her again soon, but I don't know what I should really do._

I don't know if anything's changed, or if I'm just being a drama queen.

_But I don't think things will be the same anymore._

**Yeah, if you didn't get the memo, Max was regular and Fang was italics.**


	25. Making Eye Contact with a Cute Stranger

**Natural Highs**

**God. Eating should be a sport. I just horked down two sandwiches while typing with one hand during the last chapter. I'm such a pig.**

**Disclaimer: Old man who's made a fortune off his writing ≠ teenage girl who fails at life.**

Chapter 25: Making Eye Contact with a Cute Stranger

"C'mon, Nudge, we gotta get home!" Ella called from down the road.

"Coming!" Nudge yelled back; she had gotten distracted by a certain _gorgeous_ specimen across the road and had dropped the groceries she was carrying.

As the sun set in the distance, Long, Dark and Handsome crossed the street, having reached the crosswalk at the corner.

"Hey, Ella," Nudge grabbed her pseudo-sister's arm, "you see that hottie over there?"

"Where? I don't see him," Ella confessed, craning her neck to look for him. By that point the boy had made a complete U-turn, and was now walking their way. Ella squinted into the setting sun.

_Crap,_ Nudge thought. _I forgot regular people have weak vision._

Nudge whirled Ella around; she was staring blatantly at the boy, even though she didn't know it. Ella blinked rapidly a few times, and The Boy Walked Past.

"Hey," Nudge heard from beside her; she whirled, dropping Ella, who she'd had a firm grip on. The boy was strolling past, and had just _greeted her!_

"Heeeeeeey," she drawled wistfully upon seeing his dimples, and the stranger smiled, though he kept walking.

"I take it that was him," Ella commented, looking with Nudge after the boy they'd never see again. Nudge nodded dumbly.

**Boy-crazy Nudge. Always dependable.**


	26. Having Someone Play with Your Hair

**Natural Highs**

**Last one, and then we're BACK ON TRACK! *forced enthusiasm***

**I know, I know. I'm a downer.**

**Disclaimer: Lulz you thought I was James Patterson the whole time, didn'tcha?**

Chapter 26: Having Someone Play with Your Hair

Could it really be called "girls' night in" if they weren't actually "in?"

The woods, as usual, were the flock's resting place of the night, and Max had insisted that although she had no desire to partake in the girls' festivities, they needed someone there who could protect them if anyone showed up.

Max was now snoring on the branch above Nudge and Angel. Yeah, what a sentry.

The trunk of the tree provided ample support for the young girls as they giggled and snorted at Max's ever-changing facial expressions. Eventually, the two subdued and lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Hey, Nudge?" Angel asked. "Can you come over here and braid my hair?"

Nudge drifted around the tree on a slight breeze and plopped next to Angel on her branch. Angel turned around, and Nudge combed her fingers through the fine blond hair.

"I wish we were home," Angel said aloud, which wasn't usually her style when she was only talking to one person.

"Me too," Nudge agreed, a bit surprised. A noise sounded in the clearing where they'd abandoned the boys, and she turned to see them all climbing over each other, probably farting the whole time.

"I also wish I was a boy," Angel added to her previous statement, having looked in their direction as well.

Nudge made a face._"Real_ly?"

"Well, not because they're gross – because they are," Angel modified. "But see how much fun they're having? And then look at us: you're sitting here braiding my hair and Max is knocked out."

"Par-tay," Nudge agreed sarcastically. "I know what you mean about being a boy, Ange."

Angel nodded, disturbing her braids. Nudge tsk-ed and ran her fingers through them to start over.

Soothed by the feel of her almost-sister softly smoothing her hair, Angel fell silent.

**Sisterly love 3**

**There need to be more flock-camaraderie fics on here. Jus' sayin'.**


	27. A Few Hours

**Natural Highs**

**Baaah. (I make weird noises at the beginning of almost every chapter, don't I?) Sorry it's been a while. I've had a solo contest (I play viola, and I got a I), been actually **_**doing**_** my homework for once, and I've had no time whatsoever for writing. But I shall have an Influx Day, as usual.**

**Disclaimer: Yes. I am James Patterson. If you seriously think that, you're dumb.**

Chapter 27: Waking Up and Realizing You Still Have a Few Hours Left To Sleep

Fang sat bolt upright in bed, having woken up suddenly and jarringly, but with no particular impetus. The clock read 4:23 A.M.

Fang fell back asleep.

**That's exactly what I do when I wake up early. I'm so melodramatic: I look at the clock, and when I see the time, I, like, faint backwards and go back to sleep, after having a fantasy about destroying my alarm clock in some manner.**


	28. Inside Joke

**Natural Highs**

**Eight more to go. *kills self***

**Disclaimer: Of course I'm not JP.**

Chapter 28: Laughing at an Inside Joke with Friends

"Hey," Iggy breathed, leaning in at the dinner table. We were at Mom's, and no one had been talking that much; we were too busy eating REAL food.

"Wha?" I asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafre oyt on wohsi," Iggy replied conspiratorially, in our weird code.

Before I could ask why he was using the code (I mean, we were just at my mom's house), Nudge snorted her juice all over her plate, shrieking with laughter along with the rest of the flock. I began to chuckle as well. I mean, it _was_ a pretty good one.

Ella and Mom watched the process with raised eyebrows. "Am I missing something?" Ella asked wryly, and I only laughed harder.

**I'll let you guess what the inside joke was. Mostly because I'm too lazy to come up with a real one. Props to anyone who knows what the code's from. (It's not that hard to get.)**


	29. Giggling

**Natural Highs**

**I'm finally done with one whole page of ideas in my notebook. *flips page ceremonially* And my updating average is now once every two weeks.**

**I'm such a nerd.**

**Disclaimer: I wonder what JP's updating average is. I'd really like to know that, actually. It's probably, like, once every three days.**

Chapter 29: Giggling

Goofing off with the girls is fun sometimes.

I mean, I'm not an incredibly girly person or anything, but sometimes it's fun to just kick back and laugh at something Nudge has just said.

Grapes are passed around the three of us as we veg out on the floor, having a "slumber party".

God, I just wish we'd had time to do this years ago, you know?

Like, back when Angel was just a little girl, and Nudge a preteen.

I guess I just had different priorities back then, hanging more with Fang and Iggy because they were my age.

Nudge has grown to be so pretty and smart, though, and Angel's only gotten more insightful with adolescence, and we all love to have long, in-depth discussions.

Giggling's just fun to do sometimes, though.

**Oh, see what I did there? I made it, like, a prose acrostic. Yeah, that's what I'll call it. A prose acrostic. (Look at the first letter of each sentence if you're still confused.) I'll probably be doing these more often. Keep an eye out.**


	30. Laughing So Hard Your Face Hurts

**Natural Highs**

**WOW. I just got slammed with a wall of exhaustion. But I still have six fics to get through. *whinewhine***

**Know what I want? Summer. (Well, and a pony.) Can it be summer? With a pony?**

**Disclaimer: If JP has a pony, I'm going to shoot someone. And then steal his pony.**

Chapter 30: Laughing So Hard Your Face Hurts

"Does your face hurt, Fang?" I asked blithely as I walked past him.

Fang's brow furrowed. "No…"

"Well, it's killing me," I responded, and awaited his response to my bizarrely-timed joke.

Fang's expression was confused at first, but the understanding eventually dawned on him. He began to slowly approach me, and I wondered if I should back out of the room before any damage could be done to me.

"Fang – it was a joke, Fang - "

He didn't stop until he was right in front of me.

"Maximum," he said, looming over me, his eyes stormy (what the hell? It was just a joke), "you don't know what you've gotten yourself into."

And then he started to tickle me.

I shrieked and wormed my way around in his menacing grasp, but he had shut the door behind me, and I had nowhere to go.

"I – HATE – YOU," I yelled between gasps of laughter, trying desperately to break free.

"Not as much as I hate you," Fang replied, smiling evilly.

I leaned in faster than a wink and planted a fat one on him. Just as I expected, the smirk went right off his smug little face, and I was finally able to pry myself loose, unfurl my wings, and take off, laughing devilishly so that, combined with the wind, my face almost froze into that jovial position.

**Random Fax insertion! (Can you tell this is the part of the night where my brain has clocked out to go home to its wife and kids? Sadly, that makes it the only time of day that I can be creative.)**

**(P. S. I'm not kidding when I say my brain has a schedule. Nine to nine, every day.)**


	31. No Lines at the Supermarket

**Natural Highs**

**OMG I CAN UPLOAD AGAIN OH MY GOD YES.**

**See, I was writing these all yesterday and today, but wasn't letting me upload them some of the time. But now it's not being a bitch anymore (or at least I hope not; I've only put up one chapter), so I am calm again. *composes self***

**Disclaimer: The crazy was never with JP.**

Chapter 31: No Lines at the Supermarket

"You all have your lists?" Max asked conspiratorially of the whole flock, huddled in a circle. The other five nodded. "Be done in less than ten minutes. If you're first, you win something from me, 'cause we've gotta hit the road. Ready… go!"

The six bird kids dashed through the sliding automatic doors of the supermarket and split into separate aisles.

Skidding into the bread aisle, Gazzy snatched three loaves of wheat bread and wheeled into the cereals. Pop-Tarts, four boxes.

_I should've gotten a basket_, thought the Gasman woefully as he caught sight of Nudge running along with Iggy holding their basket. (After all, Iggy couldn't very well be by himself.)

_Crash!_ "CRAP!" he heard Max yell from the produce section. _Excellent; one down_.

_Where's bottled water?_ Gazzy asked himself, speed-walking through the front of the store. _Uh-oh._

Water apparently comes in gigantic packages, as Gaz found out.

Dragging the giant pack of water down the aisle, Gazzy was brushed aside as Angel fled past him, on a beeline for the chips. Gazzy pulled harder.

Passing the frozen foods aisle, the Gasman saw that half of the doors were coated in something sticky, along with Nudge and Iggy, who stood in the middle of it all.

The checkout lines, _finally._ Fang stood in line impatiently behind a little old lady who couldn't find her checkbook. A green-suited employee walked into an open lane and flicked on the lighted number. _YESSS._

Gazzy hurried over, hauling the water onto the conveyor belt, and bounced up and down on the spot while the lady bagged the items. _What will the prize be_, he wondered longingly as he handed over the stack of fives and grabbed the bags from their racks. _I hope it's a battery._

The Gasman sped out of the store, past Angel, whose mouth was open in shock. _Your mind can't beat my speed,_ he thought at her triumphantly, to which she simply replied, _Hmph._

Gazzy was waiting at the lightpole as the other five ran out, one by one, only to find that they had lost.

The youngest boy in the flock happily munched on the caramel corn as the rest of the group disgruntledly settled in for the night in the park.

**I'll let you guess what Fang was hoping for from Max. I did actually have something in mind. ;D**


	32. Midnight Phone Calls

**Natural Highs**

**Oh, also, I have a new poll. You should go vote in it. :D**

**Disclaimer: I wonder if JP knows there are only 44 days left till Fang. OMGICAN'TWAIT.**

Chapter 32: Midnight Phone Calls That Last For Hours

"Hey, what time is it over there?" my beloved sister asked me.

I looked out at the dark sky, and then at my watch. "Actually, we're in the same time zone as you right now, and it's… four A.M." I was stunned. I should have felt _really freaking tired_, but I didn't. Something about talking to a friend, a real, not almost-like-family friend, energized me.

"Crap! I have school tomorrow! …I mean today," Ella exclaimed.

"Just skip. I'm sure Mom would let you."

"Yeah, right. She wouldn't let you skip."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure she would. She's let me skip every day for the past fourteen years."

"Oh, yeah." Ella yawned, evidently now feeling how exhausted she should have been. My own eyelids started sagging. "That's stupid, you know. It would be for, like, the past eight years, because you wouldn't have been going to school for your whole life - "

"BYE, ELLA." I hung up the phone, read that we'd been at it for four hours and thirty-three minutes, and snapped it shut. I didn't need to worry about waking anyone else up; they were all in the hotel room, while I was in the closet.

I snuggled into bed next to Nudge, bracing myself for the impact the daylight would make on my eyelids in a mere three hours.

**One time, J.T.R.-san (my best friend, who is also on Fanfiction and whom you should look up) and I played Battleship through the phone for almost five hours. Good times. And at the risk of sounding needy, go vote in my poll so I feel like I have friends.**


	33. Sweet Dreams

**Natural Highs**

**Are any of you people that we may have asked to author for One-Letter Stand? If so, and you haven't had your chapter posted (or written) yet, please PM me with the prompt. That would be swell. It's going to be put up, I swear… but Tassel's currently grounded. So it'll be later than anticipated. We're still doing it, though.**

**Disclaimer: Bleh.**

Chapter 33: Sweet Dreams

"Are you done with that yet?"

I looked up to see Iggy, holding his hand out for my cereal bowl. I looked at him in bewilderment, not familiar with this kind of responsibility and caring. "…Why?" I asked suspiciously.

Iggy shrugged. "I was just gonna put it in the dishwasher."

Dishwasher?

I looked around Iggy's torso to see a clean kitchen counter, a pristine white dishwasher installed in the center.

"Yeah… yeah, sure," I assented, and left the table to see the living room.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" the Gasman yelled, throwing his Playstation 2 controller into the air. Angel waved at me pleasantly next to Gazzy on the fluffy blue couch, her hair washed for once, and both of them wore nice clothes. Come to think of it, Iggy had been wearing a nice polo shirt.

I looked down at myself. "GAAAAH!" I yelped upon seeing my skinny jeans and pink ballet flat shoes.

Something cold touched the skin between my neck and chest, and I whirled around and snatched at it.

"Do you like it?" Fang asked, smiling down at me.

I felt my eyebrow raise, and I looked down at what was around my neck and in my hand. It was a thin gold necklace, with a few smaller strands of golden chain attached to it, and a few little baubles hanging from those. Jeez. Elaborate much?

"I… love it?" It came out half-statement, half-question.

Fang's smile widened, and he swooped in and kissed me. ON THE LIPS. My eyes widened, instead of closing like they were supposed to in an act of romance.

Gazzy groaned.

"Get a room!" Angel mandated, chucking a pillow from the couch at our conjoined faces.

I backed away in time to bat the pillow from its trajectory. Fang glared good-naturedly at the kids, and then turned back to me. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," I stammered. "Where's Nudge?"

"She had her first early band practice at school today, remember?" Fang grabbed my (stunned) hand and pulled me into the hallway. It was brightly lit, with no piles of dirty laundry on the floor or unidentifiable smears on the walls.

As soon as I turned back to face Fang, his lips were on mine again, and his hands in my (straightened!) hair.

I dithered for a moment, lost in my thoughts about our house in the mountains being clean, and about us apparently being in school, but the feeling of Fang kissing me banished them all, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

Even if this all wasn't real, it was too good to pass up.

**Yes, that whole thing was Max's dream.**

**This was SO MUCH FUN to write. Possibly my favorite chapter of this fic.**

**Okay, **_**fine.**_** I give in. I like to write fluff. And I think I'm good at it. (Are you **_**happy**_**, Tassel?)**


	34. A Good Conversation

**Natural Highs**

**Life is really sucky right now, but also really good at the same time. Like, I should be freaking out… but I'm not. And I think that's because I'm writing, and have been all day. It's a very soporific activity, almost like a downer. (Oh my god, if my mom knew I just compared writing to a drug…) But it is, though. Not gonna lie.**

**Also I've just been informed that I will be having bacon tomorrow for breakfast. So. That just might be a part of it.**

**Disclaimer: Mmmm… bacon.**

Chapter 34: A Good Conversation

"Life sucks," the Gasman said, and I heard him slam the door and drop his backpack to the ground. I had been home sick from school today (freaking colds; they're always worse with our bird genetics), so I was desperate for some conversation.

"Actually, life blows," I punned (is that a word?). "Like a bomb."

"Huh?" Gasser was obviously confused, even with terms he was familiar with.

"You know," I mused, "life is like a bomb. Your time is set, and even though you/it can be delayed, you can never shut it off. You can't shut off the death that will so dependently come in the end, like the final eruption of the bomb."

Gazzy paused before sarcastically responding, "Thanks, Ig. That really made my day better."

"Happy to help."

**Yeah, whenever I write down a new "natural high" for this, I always jot down whose POV it'll be from, as well as a little tidbit of information that I can reference while I'm writing it, and when I saw that one, I was just like, "…Oh, shit." At least I was pretty IC with Iggy, if I say so myself. I was expecting mucho OOC-ness.**


	35. Homemade Cookies

**Natural Highs**

**Never mind. I'm not getting bacon. *tear***

**Disclaimer: I wonder if JP has a cook who will make bacon for him. In that case, I'm switching our identities; I am now James Patterson, with a cook who will make me bacon.**

Chapter 35: Having Your Friends Send You Homemade Cookies

"Man, I wish we had some bacon."

"Gaz, you know that had nothing to do with our previous conversation, right?" Nudge pointed out.

"I'm just saying."

"Oh, hey, that reminds me," I said, motioning Fang over to make sure I didn't drop my backpack from thousands of feet in the air as I opened it. "Mom said that Ella left something in here for us before we hit the road, but I forgot all about it."

A large white envelope came into view. I swung my backpack back over my shoulders and opened the envelope. In it was a jumbo Ziploc bag, and in that was…

"Cookies!" Angel exclaimed gleefully. I handed the bag to her, its scent wafting over me.

"Only one, and share with the others."

The confectionary delights were dispersed among the flock, until the bag came back to me, and I snatched a cookie and shoved it unceremoniously into my awaiting mouth.

The only sounds that could be heard were munching and sighs of delight.

**No, I'm not eating chocolate chip cookies as we speak…**

**AAH YES I'M CAUGHT UP! I'm going to bed.**


	36. The Beach

**Natural Highs**

**Now I have bacon… AND A SNOW DAY! *yesssss***

**Disclaimer: JP isn't lazy, as far as I know. Jerk.**

Chapter 36: The Beach

Gazzy splashed Angel in the face with a gallon of water.

"Hey!" Angel protested, though she didn't have to splutter around like any of the rest of them would, but Gaz was nowhere to be seen. Angel's brow furrowed. "Gasman?" She looked around in confusion, at the horizon and under the water, but her brother was hiding very well.

Angel got an idea.

She resurfaced and yelled with all her might, "MARCO!"

"POLO!"

Angel tackled him.

**Siblingly love. (That totally isn't a word.)**


	37. Having Someone Tell You

**Natural Highs**

**Sorry about the long wait; I got grounded from the computer, so today I can FINALLY update all my crap. Jeez, parents. (I have the kind that "don't understand", only less melodramatic and more annoying.)**

**Disclaimer: If Patterson's lucky, his parents are dead.**

Chapter 37: Having Someone Tell You That You're Beautiful

Fang kept staring at me over the table. I chose to ignore it.

"And then he was like, 'Aaah! No! Monster!' The look on his face – aw, man!" Gazzy was animatedly retelling the story of our trip to the McDonald's where we now sat, even though we had all been there.

I snorted into my fries at Gazzy's imitation of the innocent bystander's voice. He was grossly exaggerating it, instead of just mimicking it like he usually did. Nudge snorted to my left, and Iggy was smacking the table in hysterics.

I looked up from my tray, wiping the tears from my eyes, and my gaze met Fang's for a split-second. He was just sitting there, eyebrows slightly raised, one corner of his mouth curled up in the ghost of a smirk.

"What?" I mouthed so the kids couldn't listen in.

Fang's smirk grew and he mouthed back, "Nothing." But he didn't stop looking at me. I instead had to turn away and continue chomping on my second cheeseburger.

_Max,_ Angel called in my head.

_Yeah, sweetie?_ I wiped my mouth discreetly.

_Fang keeps looking at you,_ she informed me.

_Yes, I know that, Angel,_ I sighed with a hint of annoyance.

_He doesn't know I'm listening,_ Angel warned me, and I smiled, _but he keeps saying you're beautiful. Do you think you're beautiful?_

I tried my hardest not to blush. _Um, I… I guess? _It came out as a question.

_I think you're beautiful, Max_, Angel assured me, _and so does Fang. He said so himself._

_Yes, you already told me that,_ I reminded her, but she had stopped listening, instead laughing at Iggy, who had put his fries up his nose.

I made it a point not to look at Fang for the rest of the meal, but I felt his eyes on me, and that made it really hard not to break out in a huge grin, or perhaps a song-and-dance number.

**Just get it through your head, Maxie: FANG LOVES YOU. Got it? Speaking of which, I really hope she doesn't start pulling a Bella in **_**Fang**_**, like a why-does-he-love-me-I-don't-deserve-it kinda thing. She's WAY too self-centered to do that, I know, but I am a bit afraid.**

**Speaking of **_**Fang**_**, though, only 34 more days. I AM UNSPEAKABLY EXCITED. You should be too. I DECREE IT.**


	38. Hot Chocolate

**Natural Highs**

**Why is writing this fic SO ADDICTING? I can't make myself stop. Of course, reading does the same thing to me. Imma stop rambling about stupid things now and let you read.**

**Disclaimer: Nope. No JP here.**

Chapter 38: Hot Chocolate

The street vendor smiled as he handed the two Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate to Nudge, but Iggy couldn't see that. Obviously.

Nudge handed him a cup, and they both turned to walk back to the flock's little sipped her drink first, and immediately screamed, "OW! That's hot!"

Iggy snorted, holding his cup sensibly away from his face. "No duh," he sneered at Nudge. "That's why they call it _hot_ chocolate!"

Nudge's eyes narrowed. "Well, do you want to see how hot it is?" she asked sweetly… too sweetly.

Iggy nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I think I do." He began to lift his cup to his lips to taste it himself.

Nudge splashed the rest of her cup in his face.

Iggy shrieked like a girl, darted to the snow-covered grass off the path, and shoved his face into it, steam rising around his head.

"Nudge!" Max was coming up the path opposite them with Angel. "What the hell?"

Nudge couldn't answer, as she was too busy trying to breathe through her gales of laughter.

**Geez, Nudge. *steps away slowly* I never knew you could be so… vicious.**

**Also, guys, I'm still open to suggestions for more natural highs, so if you have any, feel free to tell me!**


	39. Laughing For Absolutely No Reason At All

**Natural Highs**

**Holy crap. This fic now has as many chapters as my very first ever, Harry Potter, fic that I've been working on for two years. Crazy how fun writing MR-fic is.**

**Disclaimer: Hey! Now I might have as many works as James Patterson!**

Chapter 39: Laughing For Absolutely No Reason At All

"What the crap is so funny, Gasman?" I yelled in frustration. He had been guffawing since we left Seattle, and it had now been two hours of "hee hee hee" when it should have been two hours of blissful silence. Or at least as close to silence as we could get.

"Stop it, Gazzy!" Angel mandated, her hands over her ears.

"It's, like, physically grating, Gaz! Quit it! This is like that time in the basement in Europe, with…" I tuned Nudge out, but there was no way to do that with the Gasman.

Iggy had taken out the noise-cancelling headphones we had stolen from that convenience store, even though there was nothing to plug it into. I envied him.

Gazzy's laughter escalated in frequency, and I knew he was only doing it to annoy us.

Fang looked my way, and we shared a look of desperate exasperation. Then suddenly, he was gone, streaking up front to our little pseudo-brother. The girls and I watched as Fang literally took the Gasman out of the sky, a loud "HEY!" from Gazzy the only thing we heard.

Wait – the only thing we heard.

I have never loved Fang as much as I did at that moment.

Gazzy's laughter still rang in our ears as we flew on, but it was quickly drowned out by the sound of his screams as Fang took him on a whirlwind ride, sans roller coaster.

**Poor Gazzy. I'm sure that he had fun tormenting the flock, though. Not that that fixes anything.**


	40. A Special Glance

**Natural Highs**

**You guys. I came home, and my inbox was, like, FLOODED with emails from Fanfiction. Reviews, alerts, favorites… umm, THANKS? You guys rock.**

**Disclaimer: Positive crit makes me feel like maybe someday I will have been as cool as JP.**

Chapter 40: A Special Glance

Max has always taken on the role of my mommy. She does that for all of us: me, Nudge, Gazzy, Iggy… but not Fang. She never patronized him like she does the rest of us. Because of that, we all show Fang the same deference we show her (well, except Iggy). The Mommy-Max role then extends to Fang, making him almost a father-figure to us. Almost.

Fang's never said much, the result of years in the School, so his "fatherly" role is more like what a father would have been like in years past, his kids always treating him with respect, and almost fear, rather than the modern Daddy-Daycare mentality. But it's what he doesn't say that really matters.

In case you didn't remember, I can read minds. This gives me a bit of an advantage over the rest of the flock in deciphering peoples' emotions. This ability is strangely one-upped, though, in regards to Fang. By Max. Sometimes I think their brains were hardwired to each others' in the School, because they always seem to know what the other is thinking. But they don't have the abilities I do, and that's what makes it even more remarkable. Or creepy. Whichever you prefer.

And sometimes, when I'm watching them, like now, sitting across the picnic table in the park, I get jealous of that sensitivity to each other. Gazzy farts, and we all groan and gag and hold our noses, and then Fang turns to Max, and she sits up straighter, like he's kicked her under the table.

But he hasn't really, and somehow it makes me think that Mommy-Max and Father-Fang aren't too far off from being a reality. Somehow.

**I kinda like Angel's POV.**

**Again, sorry for the long breaks. I've been spending the weekend with my extended family, which is always awesome. Today and tomorrow are my catch-up days, so I'll be back in business before you know it.**


	41. Running into an Old Friend

**Natural Highs**

**I have a story to tell you. It's called "How Ninja C Stayed Up All Night to Finish the Percy Jackson Series", and I will begin now.**

**I read PJ1 when I was ill on Wednesday, February 3, all in one sitting. I became addicted (my uncle and I determined that everything I value in life stems from my love of mythology, so these were the perfect books for me), and I read PJ2 in another one-day session the next day. I then borrowed PJ3 from a friend, decimated it in turn… and then I had nothing. The library had no copies of 4 and 5, my friends all forgot my requests to borrow them… but Tassel630 had them from the library. So I stole them. (With permission from her father.) I stayed up all night (no… literally. All night. I did not sleep.) and cried a lot and felt kind of woozy, since I had read the whole series within ten days. Then Tassel and I saw the movie (DO NOT SEE IT. It's SO bad.) and almost barfed at how hilariously bad it was. And ever since, I've been palpably more crazy.**

**Possibly the best experience of my life.**

**And now there are only 28 days till Fang and I could just DIE. *omfgimsoexcited***

**Disclaimer: Does anyone else besides me have a brain on a schedule? Turn on at 9 A.M., turn off at 9 P.M. sharp? No? Then I'm not JP, as he does not have one of those "special"-type minds.**

Chapter 41: Running into an Old Friend and Realizing That Some Things Never Change

"Max? Max, is that you?"

My face put on its WHAT THE HELL outfit. I knew that voice. It echoed around the ladies' room of the rest station we had stopped in, and I dared to shift my eyes to the mirror above the sink I was standing at. Yup, there it was. The red hair.

"Lissa!" I greeted with forced enthusiasm. _Oh, God,_ my mind was saying. _Please let this not be happening._ But I just hitched a smile onto my face.

"Hey, are you alright?" the Red-Headed Wonder asked, looking concerned. I let the smile drop. It was hurting me more than it was worrying her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um, listen, my family and I, we're on the road, and we've _really_ gotta go, so - "

"Your family?" The RHW's eyes lit up. "Nick? And everybody?"

My voice got a lot more high-pitched without me meaning it to. "Yeah, yeah, Nick, and also Jeff and Zephyr and…" _Crap, what was Nudge's name again? Ahh, just play it off._ "…And everybody," I finished lamely, edging toward the door.

"But what are you guys doing in South Carolina?" she queried, that _perky_ smile on her face. I scrambled to think of an excuse, but she answered for me. "Oh, you guys must be on your spring break at your new school, too."

"Right, yeah, spring break," I muttered, my hand on the door. "Listen, I've gotta go, so…"

I scrambled out, and as the door swung behind me, I heard the RHW yell, "Hey, wait up!"

I darted outside, grabbed Iggy's and Angel's collars, and ducked behind the bushes, the other three taking the hint. It'd be too conspicuous to fly off right here. _WAAAAY_ too conspicuous. The RHW came out of the building, and my body went absolutely flat to the ground, peering at her feet through the bushes.

"Max?" she called. "Max? Nick?" She eventually must've thought we'd left with our "parents", because her shoulders dropped and she went off to find her own family.

The rest of the flock had been too busy staring at me to look around until the RHW went around the corner of the building, so I took off, the others looking at me in confusion.

"What was that back there, Max?" Fang asked once we were high in the air. "You look like you saw a ghost."

I looked down to the ground and saw the tiniest glint of red in the park behind us. "Not a ghost. Just an… old friend. It was good to see she hasn't changed. Not a single bit."

Fang gave me a very strange look as we crossed the border into Georgia.

**I don't like Lissa. I hate her so much I even had to abbreviate her nickname so I wouldn't shudder every time she spoke. Guhhh. She's just **_**creepy**_**.**

**Read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It will make your life significantly better. (But don't watch the movie. Ew.)**


	42. New Friends or Old Ones

**Natural Highs**

**I just posted my first Percy Jackson fic, while we're on the topic. You should check it out. It's all… weird. But then, what of mine isn't?**

**Disclaimer: Not JP. Although I did see another commercial of him advertising his books. And he is an old man. I can assure you, I am not.**

Chapter 42: Making New Friends or Spending Time with Old Ones

Nudge closed the front door of the house across the street from Anne's. Dora waved from the window, and Nudge waved back, hiking her backpack up onto her back and setting off across the street and up the winding drive.

Dora had invited her and a few other girls over to do homework after school, but no homework had been done. Nails, yes. Hair, sure. But no work.

Nudge felt like a princess, walking through the swirling leaves in the yard, her hair all updone and her shoes newly polished. It was a lot of fun to spend time with normal people – though she had to make sure to flatten her wings as absolutely close to her body as she could, in order to not arouse suspicion. But she could be as girly as she wanted to with her school friends. Not with Max. Max was a strong girl, not a girly-girl. And even Angel was a bit too young to understand the trivialities of makeup and appearance.

Nudge pushed open Anne's front door, and was immediately greeted with the sounds of the smoke alarm. She dashed to the kitchen, flinging her backpack to the ground, and was blinded by the smoke that Iggy was fanning out the window.

"What were you _thinking?_"

"I wanted to make dinner myself, _Iggy!_ It isn't _that _hard!"

"Then why was the oven on fire, _Maximum_?"

Nudge smiled. Okay, so maybe her forever-friends weren't _that_ boring to be around.

**Nudge, oh, Nudge, why did you have to go through your "normal" phase? I really hope that's all over by now, and we can get back to kicking ass and saving the world.**


	43. Hot Towels Fresh Out of the Dryer

**Natural Highs**

**YAY PRESIDENTS' DAY! Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT, in fact, George Washington's birthday. It is merely a day celebrating the efforts and works of all American presidents since the Constitution. Sad, really, that most Americans don't know these things about their own country, and yet they boast of patriotism. I just don't get it.**

**Disclaimer: JP should be president. He would decree everyone to WRITE. ALL THE TIME. It'd be awesome.**

Chapter 43: Hot Towels Fresh Out of the Dryer

Fang pried open the door of the archaic dryer, and a cloud of steam escaped. Angel stood back until the condensation passed, then reached in to grab the towels.

A hotel's laundry room would be perfect for washing their positively nasty clothes, caked with the dirt of months. In desperation, the flock had snuck into the hotel, grabbed some bathrobes, and shoved all their clothes in the washing machine in the basement. Now it was transferring time, and the towels previously occupying the dryer would be replaced with the bird kid clothes.

Fang stuffed the wet clothing into the dryer, and they both looked down at the towels now littering the floor.

"We should at least fold them while we're waiting," Angel suggested. "It'd be a nice thing to do."

Fang nodded his agreement, and they each grabbed a towel.

A draft whizzed through the open window, and Angel shivered as she put the first warm folded towel in a basket on the ground, its warmth already draining away. Fang looked up at her, at the goosebumps on her arms.

"Come here," he said, and Angel obliged. Fang reached into the pile, grabbed one from the middle, where it was warmest, and wrapped his "sister" up in it. "Better?" he asked, securing it around her neck with a knot. Angel nodded vigorously, and they both went back to work.

**I like when they all get buddy-buddy. I think of them as a very close family, like mine, that cares about each other no matter what, even though they can all be a bit retarded to each other.**


	44. Jumping in Puddles

**Natural Highs**

**No time; I have a bibliography due tomorrow that I haven't touched yet. These fics are my distraction/break time activities. See you on the other side.**

**Disclaimer: DAMN YOU JP FOR BEING OUT OF SCHOOL**

Chapter 44: Jumping in Puddles

"BONZAI!" Gazzy yelled as he darted in front of Fang, cutting him off, and kicked both of his feet into the pool of water at full force.

Fang glared down at him, his hair dripping."Gasman…" he drawled.

"Uh-oh…" Gazzy realised, eyes widening. He turned around and began to run.

Too late.

Angel dropped from the sky and dumped the bucket of water on her brother's head.

"That's not fair!" Gazzy yelled indignantly as Angel flew back to Fang and they high-fived.

Fang looked down at Angel, nodding. "He's right, you know," he said remorsefully. "It wasn't fair. Of course," he signalled to Angel, and they began to walk over to the Gasman, "neither is this."

They both stomped in the puddle of water that had dripped down Gazzy's body.

The Gasman stood motionless for a moment, then spit out a fountain of water. "Naw, that one was pretty good, actually."

**So picky about his watery punishments. Puddles: very tasteful.**

**I have no idea what that was supposed to mean. Don't judge me; I'm doing schoolwork.**


	45. Cuddling in a Warm Blanket

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: I HATE THIRD QUARTER I HATE THIRD QUARTER I HATE THIRD QUARTER**

Chapter 45: Cuddling in a Warm Blanket

The living room had turned into a blanket fort. And we're not talkin' a little three-blankets long dwelling planted in front of the TV. No, the room had literally turned INTO a box of blankets. They covered the walls, the ceiling, and most of the furniture.

"Iggy," Angel called upon walking in and witnessing this spectacle.

"Yes?"

"…What are you doing?"

Iggy sighed and got up from his perch in front of the TV. "Well, I was cold, but when I got out a blanket, I just couldn't get comfortable. So I made the whole room a blanket."

"How long did this take you?" Angel asked in awe; it was only nine in the morning.

"Eh, I've been up since one."

"You're crazy."

"Yeah, I know," Iggy dismissed. "Care to join me, o little princess?"

Angel giggled; that was a bit of a joke between the two. She was the princess, and he was the prince (even though he "demanded" to be acknowledged as the king). It had started as a way of coping in the School, but persevered through their lives in the E-shaped house on the mountain.

She stepped fully into the room and settled herself on the blanket covering the floor. Iggy wrapped one more blanket around the two of them, and there they sat, watching/listening to Dora the Explorer until Max found them two hours later.

**Like I said before, I love flock-friendship. None closer, I tell ya.**

**Although I feel like a bit of an imposter for making up inside jokes for them. Meh. That's why it's fanfiction.**


	46. Stopping to Smell the Roses

**Natural Highs**

**I haven't done Nudge in a while. Shall we do Nudge? Let's do Nudge.**

**Disclaimer: No, that wasn't the title of the next MR book after Fang, even though they do seem to be following a trend of names. I wouldn't know. I'm not James Patterson.**

…**Also there's only 22 days till Fang. Just sayin'.**

Chapter 46: Stopping to Smell the Roses

"Nudge! Are you coming or not?"

"I'm coming, hang on," Nudge replied to Max's vain attempt to get to school on time for once. The rest of the flock had stopped with her and turned around curiously to see what was wrong.

"What's up, Nudge?" Iggy asked in concern.

"Nothing!" she defended; they were all giving her that look. Quickly, she traipsed over to the flowers on the side of the path, leaned down, and took a large whiff – but not before checking for bugs. Bugs up her nose. Eurgh.

"Just stopping to smell the roses!" Nudge chirped, breezing past her friends, again on their way to the last place any of them wanted to be.

**Nudge is probably carefree like that, right? Right?**

**Oh, god, I'm losing my mind. School, fuck you.**


	47. Accidentally Saying Something in Unison

**Natural Highs**

**Here we are now, doing nonsensical chapters that my friends came up with. If they don't make sense as a "natural high", that's because we're crazy, and I'm being driven insane by my FREAKING SCHOOLWORK. (That's why you guys should all give me suggestions in the reviews! Anything helps.)**

**Although my orchestra did get straight Superiors at State Contest. Did I mention that? Ah, well. THAT stressful facet of my life is gone now, I s'pose.**

**And lastly – this one goes out to you, Tassel630. XD**

**Disclaimer: If James Patterson (who is not me) did my bibliography for me, I'd probably faint.**

Chapter 47: Accidentally Saying Something in Unison with a Friend

Life sucks when you're a freaky mutant teenage bird kid.

However, _nothing_ is worse than all of that, plus being tired.

"Out," I snarled to Iggy and Nudge, who were sitting on my bed at Mom's, probably to get away from the big one Gazzy just dropped. They scattered, and I collapsed onto the bed, closing my eyes, already almost in blissful slumber…

"Yo."

I shrieked, grabbed my pillow from beneath my face, and started whacking the intruder about the face.

"Ow – hey – Max – just – QUIT IT!" Fang yelled.

"WHAT – ARE – YOU – DOING – IN – MY – ROOM?" I demanded with every blow.

Fang finally grabbed the flailing pillow and ripped it out of my hands. "I was hiding in here with Iggy and Nudge after what Gazzy… committed."

I huffed in dissatisfaction. Then a thought came to me. "Wait – where were you?"

Fang pinkened (is that a word?) infinitesimally. "Under your bed," he muttered self-consciously.

I sighed, deciding I didn't care anymore, and sunk onto my bed again. Fang took to Ella's bed, across from mine. "Long day?" he asked, a smirk dancing around the corners of his mouth.

I gave him an appreciative sneer.

"I'll take that as a yes." We sat in almost-companionable silence then. Almost. I lay on my back, silently begging Fang to just leave so I could sleep. Fang continued to stare down at me until I finally had to ask, "_What?_"

"Well, all right, Cranky Cathy," Fang joked in response to my attitude. "Are you always this pleasant at the end of the day?"

"Shut up, Fang."

Fang's eyes lit up, and I restrained myself from groaning. He was going to accept that as a challenge.

"No," he replied, an edge to his voice. "No, I don't think I will."

Reverse psychology time. "Know what? I want you to stay here, all night, with me."

"Can do."

I smacked myself in the forehead. FOR REAL. I only reserve the facepalm for severe situations.

"Ooh, she hit herself in the face," Fang cajoled to himself, testing my boundaries. "She must be _mad…_"

I shut my eyes and tried to block out Fang's voice. But he wasn't talking anymore, so I relaxed.

"Boo."

He whispered it _rightinmyear_, that close to my head. Again, reflexes kicked in and I punched him.

My eyes flew open, and I saw that Fang had staggered back, deftly grabbing a handful of Kleenex from the box on the nightstand so as not to ruin Ella's sheets. His eyes were afire, and I could tell that with his anger and my fatigue, I was probably gonna get creamed this time.

But then the door cracked open, only making the tension in the room escalate, as Gazzy's _stench_ oozed in. The Gasman himself stood in the doorway, his mouth open and poised to ask a question. (How could he _breathe_ that stuff in?)

"Hey, Max, I - "

"PEANUT BUTTER!" Fang and I both yelled at the same time and with the same ferocity. Gazzy's eyes went wide, and he darted out and slammed the door after him. Good boy. I knew he couldn't have been raised in a barn.

Oddly, though, the tension was gone entirely from our little spat. Fang cracked the window open so we could breathe again, and my eyelids drooped again. I didn't care anymore whether Fang was in here or not (though Ella would be a different story), and I just put my face in my pillow again and screwed my eyes shut.

"Hey, Max?"

"Nnngh," I grunted, ignoring the almost-laugh to Fang's tone.

"Why did you say 'peanut butter'?"

I looked up and saw that Fang was trying his darndest to hold back a smile.

"Well, why did you?" I rebutted.

At that moment, both of us couldn't take it anymore, and began to raucously laugh, our sides splitting. I got up from my bed, grabbed Fang's elbows, and, still dying in hysterics, manoeuvred him to the door. He didn't even notice when I pushed him through and slammed the door shut, locking it. Ella could sleep on the couch for all I cared, as long as the hyena-laugh didn't come back in.

**Oms noms noms.**


	48. Successfully Assembling Something

**Natural Highs**

**Guhhh. Break time again; more fanfiction! Here we go.**

**I just consumed pure sugar. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I felt like I was gonna die if I didn't get something sweet soon. So I did that.**

**This is why I'm going to die of Type II Diabetes at 25.**

**Disclaimer: Actually, if JP did my paper, he'd be done with it in five minutes. *looks up contact information***

Chapter 48: Successfully Assembling Something Without the Instructions

"Hey," the Gasman prefaced his question. "Hey, hey, Ig. What would you do if I totally jumped on your back and pulled those blue wires, huh, Ig?"

"Well," Iggy replied after a period of mock-deliberation, "you'd probably die. I would stab you through the heart with this screwdriver."

"Hey, how's it coming, anyways?" Gazzy asked for the fortieth time. He had been pacing around the room for the past half hour while Iggy tinkered with their new project, gabbing away, as usual. "I don't even know how you can do that without the instructions."

"It's a little trick I like to call 'being blind for five years', and it's almost done," Iggy answered testily.

"Ooh, I can't wait to see the look on Max's face when she sees this," Gazzy exuberated, complete with a little leap into the air for emphasis.

"Here." Iggy held out the finished product, as well as a little glass circle. "You put on the face. That way you'll have actually _made_ part of it instead of just sitting around the whole time."

Gazzy pulled a face, even though he knew Iggy couldn't see it, and gently screwed in the glass. "Perfect," he declared, and Iggy told him to take it to Max's room.

The Gasman made a beeline for Max's nightstand; she'd be sure to see their little gift. Positioning it just so, he darted out of the room and closed the door, making sure not to touch anything else.

The sunlight from the window shone onto the small Mickey Mouse alarm clock as it dipped toward the horizon.

**Oh, you sweet boys, you. A nonverbal apology; seems like their style.**


	49. Doing Something Impossible

**Natural Highs**

**Ohhhhhhh, the places you'll go… Oh, hey there. You just caught me singing a song about Dr. Seuss, one of the four people in history for whom I would kill someone. That's mildly embarrassing. Anyways, I've been busy, which is why I haven't been updating, obviously. But I'm keeping my promise, because an elephant's faithful, one hundred percent.**

**:D**

**Disclaimer: At that metaphorical table of idols with whom I'd like to sup, can James Patterson and Dr. Seuss sit on either side of me?**

Chapter 49: Having Someone Tell You Something's Impossible and Then Doing It

"Hey, Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang. Fang. Fa - "

"WHAT, Gasman?"

Gazzy's grin grew now that he had Fang's attention. "Iggy told me that you can't lick your elbow."

Fang sighed. "Gazzy, I'm sure that's not true. He probably just made it up." He clambered out of the armchair and made for the front door to go for a fly.

"No, it's true!" the Gasman defended, darting after the older boy. "He says that he found it online, and no human can do it! Wanna see the website?"

Fang smirked, leapt into the air, and launched his feet backwards over his head, inverting himself. In this manner, his arm stretched toward his face, at which time he stuck out his tongue and dabbed it on his elbow. He landed with a billow of his wings, almost smacking Gazzy in the awestruck face.

"What?" Fang asked, trying to hold back his laughter. "You said no _human_."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Fang heard from behind him as he took off once more, disappearing over the treetops.

**Poor Gazzy. I make way too much fun of the poor kid. Speaking of Fang, though…**

**No, no, I won't say anything, just in case anyone in America still hasn't finished it. (For the record, a: that book totally redeemed the entire series for me, and b: I read it in three hours. After camping outside the bookstore until it opened. Tassel630 and I didn't have school. So. We did that on Monday. I'm sure you're interested.)**


	50. Waging a Prank War

**Natural Highs**

**All the Dr. Seuss I keep stuffing into these A/Ns is from the fact that I just found my old favourite movie: In Search of Dr. Seuss. It's this WONDERFUL biography of Ted Geisel himself, and it brings back all these nostalgic memories. But jeez, I haven't watched that since I was… like, fourteen or something. XD**

**Disclaimer: I like writing. However, I absolutely cannot write entire novels in ten months. Jeez, JP, are you on, like, author steroids or something? (And can you get me some?)**

Chapter 50: Waging a Prank War

"BONZAIIIII!"

"The _hell_, Ig?" I screeched, wiping water out of my eyes and glaring murderously at the idiot who'd just dumped a bucket of it on my head.

"Max? Oh, jeez, sorry," Iggy apologised profusely.

"Sorry? _Sorry?_ What, exactly, were you trying to do?" I interrogated. Iggy set the bowl on the floor, going red.

"Well, I was… I was… waiting for Fang," he admitted.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Waiting for Fang? Why?"

"Ah, dammit, I knew you'd find out."

"Excuse me? About _what?_" I was getting impatient. And we all know how bad I am when I _am_ patient.

"About the war," Iggy sighed in… defeat? "I guess this means I lose."

"You're damn right it does!" Fang yelled, dropping from the ceiling.

"Oh, of course you'd be hanging onto the walls," I growled at him, and simply walked away, shaking my wings all over poor Nudge around the corner. The boys could still be heard bickering through dinner.

**Sore loser much, Igster?**

**FIFTY CHAPTERS FTW!**


	51. Finding Something Shiny

**Natural Highs**

**Oh, I haven't told you the story of how I made myself crippled. I fell up the stairs and my knee hit the baseboard, and I had a panic attack, because I can't stand blood. The end.**

**Disclaimer: Do you **_**see**_** my talent for telling stories? That one, right up there?**

Chapter 51: Finding Something Shiny

Nudge's room was a mess.

Of course, this wasn't exactly news. Nudge's room was always a mess, and she knew it. Which is exactly why Max had instructed her to go and clean it, and why she had obliged.

Piles and piles of old clothes came out first, stuffed into garbage bags so they could fly down to Goodwill in the morning, and then Nudge uncovered the layer of gross dishes, cups, and silverware. (Gazzy had evidently been in here a few times as well. No one else ate cheese puffs.)

Only a few items remained scattered about the room. Nudge picked up her hair dryer, and the angled bathroom light made whatever was underneath the dryer refract that brightness. Nudge leaned down to pick up the book.

"_The Lorax_. Dr. Seuss. Cool."

* * *

The snuffling noises had stopped emanating from Nudge's room, so I suspected she was done. I got up to check.

At the moment I drew level with her room, I heard her shriek, "UNLESS WHAT?" through the closed door, and I turned the knob.

Nudge was huddled in the corner, her shoulders hunched over what I could only guess was a book.

"Nudge?"

Nudge looked up at me, her big eyes streaming with tears, and my heart melted.

"Max, can we save the trees next?"

I grinned. "Finally."

**Yes, yes, I know, the environmentalist thing bugs everyone, but it **_**is**_** a central theme. So. (Besides, **_**Fang**_** totally redeemed the series, as I said. SO MUCH BETTER THAN I WAS EXPECTING.)**


	52. Finding a Penny Heads Up

**Natural Highs**

**How did it get so late so soon?  
****It's night before it's afternoon.  
****December is here before it's June.  
****My goodness how the time has flewn.  
****How did it get so late so soon?**

**Disclaimer: I love how my disclaimers have literally disintegrated to the point where they are mere ramblings of a crazy person.**

Chapter 52: Finding a Penny Heads-Up

_Clomp clomp clomp clomp clink._

Clink?

I picked up my foot, the copper circle scraping against the pavement and making a noise that made my skin crawl. _A penny. Cool._

I leaned down to pick up the coin, but then remembered the old saying that if you picked up a tails-up penny, you'd have bad luck rather than good. So instead, I peered down before touching it.

Heads-up. SWEET!

I snatched the penny, pocketed it, and continued down the sidewalk.

"Free ice cream, ma'am?"

Oh, yes, this day would be good indeed.

**I want free ice cream. That would be very nice. GIVE ME ICE CREAM, READERS!**


	53. Staying Up Late and Watching the Stars

**Natural Highs**

**Hello again! I return from a shorter break than usual. Sorry; it's that research paper/mega-competition/killer AP prep/Script Frenzy/Ninja C needs a nap time of year again. I'll catch up; I swear.**

**So to motivate myself, instead of just going to bed and sleeping till one tomorrow afternoon, I'm at Tassel630's place, and she is forcing me to write. She is simultaneously restarting work on her NaNoWriMo novel from the fall. Congratulations are due.**

**Disclaimer: When you see a new fanfic archive where all of the characters are COMPLETE IDIOTS, then you'll know it's actually MY work. (Can you tell I've been working on my novel as well?)**

Chapter 53: Staying Up Late and Watching the Stars

"Fang?"

"Hmm?"

"Does nighttime count as a time of day?"

"Well, yeah, I suppose."

"Good. Because that's always my answer whenever someone asks me what my favorite time of day is."

"Same for me."

"Why?"

"…I don't actually know. What about you, Mighty Max?"

"Same. It's… indescribable."

"Indubitably."

**Never done a dialogue before. …I think. I'm getting too many fanfics lately. Anyway. Maybe more later. Short stuff. Like these sentences.**


	54. Getting an A on a Test

**Natural Highs**

**AAAAAARTGHFGASFSGHF.**

**Hey, remember that time when I said I was working on my novel again? Well, I came up with a BRILLIANT idea for a name for a car to put into my series, and then I promptly forgot it. So.**

**Tassel630 is now hovering somewhere around the perimeter of the room after that blowup. Sorry, Tassel.**

**Disclaimer: I need help. Severely.**

Chapter 54: Getting an A+ on a Test

"Iggy. It's a spelling test."

"Yeah, so?" Iggy's tone dared Fang to continue.

"So…" Fang made a weird exasperated face, though Iggy couldn't see it. "Dude, it's _spelling_," he repeated. "How would you know how to spell?"

"You suck at it too!" Iggy pointed out.

"Yes, but… at least I can _learn,_" Fang retorted, knowing that the comment would only sting Iggy a little.

"I'm gonna ace this test," Iggy declared as the bell rang, "and you're gonna watch me."

Fang raised his shoulders in the universal "whatever" gesture and went back to his seat.

The teacher had to dictate the test to Iggy, but other than that, Fang noticed nothing strange about this examination. Ig wasn't unusually tense, which was the usual sign that he was stressed. Maybe he'd do all right after all.

At the end of the test, their teacher instructed them to switch papers with a partner for grading. (She personally took the last one, rather than Iggy.)

Fang looked down at the paper that Iggy had placed upon his desk and immediately uttered the first words that any classmate had heard come issuing from his mouth thus far:

"What the hell?"

Iggy waltzed home that day – literally, "accidentally" smacking a different member of the flock with his A+ paper with every turn.

**OMG I REMEMBERED THE CAR NAME. *flooding relief***

**Also, Tassel just informed me that I have over 100 reviews on this fic. THANK YOU, PEOPLE! Now I'm greedy. Give me more.**

…**Yep, she's a ball of sunshine, this one.**


	55. Getting A Cool Band Aid Put On

**Natural Highs**

**HI! Hey. Hi.**

**Well, that was a great chat.**

**Disclaimer: AAAAAAAARRRGGHHFFDGSDGBSFHSE**

Chapter 55: Getting a Cool Band-Aid Put On

The Gasman rifled through the bathroom cabinets feverishly, ignoring the toothpaste splatters and various stains covering the counter.

_Aha, Spiderman!_

He approached Max, sitting on the couch stretching out her wings after the game of extreme tag.

"What's up, Gasman?"

Gazzy held out the Band-Aid.

As she put it on his knee, Max scoffed, "You know, you're eight. You're big enough to do this yourself."

But Gazzy liked it better when she did.

**Yay Max is a mother-figure and all that mushy stuff.**

**SORRY. I'm clippy. Because I'm catching up on this and spending seven hours a day in the sun. Work. Job. Gross. I do NOT like the sun. So, yeah.**

**INCOHERENCY SUCCESSFUL!**


	56. Eating Cookie Dough

**Natural Highs**

**Aagh. I'm only now realising the gravity of this situation. I WILL catch up. I SWEAR. Somebody get over here so I can make an Unbreakable Vow.**

**Oops, wrong fandom. XD**

**Disclaimer: I'M ONLY A POOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRL. DON'T SUE ME.**

Chapter 56: Eating Cookie Dough

"Mmm," Nudge grinned as she twirled around Iggy to reach the dough he was mixing for cookies later tonight.

"Hey!" Iggy turned toward the sound of Nudge's retreating footsteps, which is why he didn't see Fang behind him making off with literally half of the bowl's contents.

Sometimes Iggy's condition could be very beneficial for everyone else.

**Poor Ig. Now he's the one being exploited.**


	57. Watching the Sunset

**Natural Highs**

**Okay. I'm back. Despicable Me is SO WORTH SEEING.**

**Disclaimer: JP would have written an entire new novel in that time.**

Chapter 57: Watching the Sunset

Iggy stood behind the window, sightless eyes staring desperately at the pink sky.

Angel could hear his silent woes, projected as though through a microphone: _Why me? Why my eyes?_

So she looked at the setting sun, and she let Iggy see it with his mind.

Iggy smiled.

**That ended up being way less cute than I intended. It's all SERIOUS.**


	58. Playing in the Snow

**Natural Highs**

**I need a pep talk. Or perhaps bacon.**

**Disclaimer: JP and I have something in common: everyone loves bacon!**

Chapter 58: Playing in the Snow

The damage was done: the snow in the abandoned rural field had been rearranged into snowmen, snow angels, a pile of snowballs and one colossal snow fort.

The part that baffled the local farmers… there were no footprints to be seen.

**(I really talk about bacon a lot, don't I?)**


	59. Knowing She's Jealous

**Natural Highs**

**Three.**

**Disclaimer: Bleh.**

Chapter 59: Knowing She's Jealous

There was one advantage to having Lissa stalk him.

Max sure looked at him more.

**Yeah, I actually like this one. This is good. Sometimes I'm way too critical of myself.**


	60. Wind

**Natural Highs**

**Two.**

**Disclaimer: I think I'm absolutely drained of creativity at this moment in time. In my disclaimers and my fiction.**

Chapter 60: Wind

Lovely warm currents sweep under me, leaving me no need to flap my already-fatigued wings.

I can tell that little Angel is practically flying asleep, and Nudge is floating lazily on the drafts.

But no wind lasts forever, however relaxing it might be, so I haul Angel into my arms and sternly tell Nudge that girl's night out is not going to be a repeated occasion.

**Oh, but Max. You're such a party-pooper.**


	61. Finding What's Lost

**Natural Highs**

**OKAY LAST ONE OF THE NIGHT AND THEN I'M GOING TO BED. Strange, really, to think that I wrote twelve fics in a matter of hours. Thank you all for bearing with me. I REALLY have to catch up. I'm so frantic I'm supplanting all caps for italics.**

**(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out the bottom portion of my profile.)**

**Disclaimer: Somehow, I don't feel that JP is ever this fatigued by writing.**

Chapter 61: Finding Something You Thought You Lost a Long Time Ago

Hide-and-seek was always the default game for the flock, as they had the ability to discover hiding places no full human could even dream of.

Such as Angel, crouched on the second-highest shelf of the plate cupboard in the kitchen.

"Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty! Ready or not, here I come!" Nudge's footsteps went down the opposite end of the hall, and Angel sighed, bracing herself for the wait.

Peering up through the dim light at the rack above, Angel made an exciting discovery.

A small stuffed bear sat primly on the top shelf, jammed behind stacks of dishware.

It was a day of firsts for the flock: the first time Iggy was ever kneed in the balls, and the first time Angel lost at hide-and-seek.

**I always did wonder whatever happened to Celeste. I miss Celeste. It's probably because Angel turned into a bitch. OH, YOU'RE SEVEN NOW. EXCUSE THE WORLD FOR EXISTING.**

**Guh. Why is Angel being such a bitch? It makes me so sad.**


	62. Catching Sight of Your Reflection

**Natural Highs**

**Yay.**

**Disclaimer: JP's titles are nice and concise. Lucky bastard.**

Chapter 62: Catching Sight of Your Reflectionand Being Unexpectedly Satisfied With It

The mirror in the bathroom of the E-shaped house was smudged with lip glosses (Nudge) and unidentifiable stains (could be anyone, really). It was time to wash that sucker off.

Armed with a bucket and a medical mask, I trudged into the bathroom and set to scrubbing.

The finished product was so nice to see in our disaster of a house that I kinda wanted to cover it in saran wrap and not permit anyone to step near it. But alas, I knew it would only be in a similar state in a week or so, so I gave the glass one last wistful look.

My eyes sparkled back at me. Wait, _sparkled? _What was I, Edward Cullen? I looked a bit closer.

My wings hung behind me (as if they'd be in front or something), my favourite feature. Their feathers, ever-gleaming, ruffled a bit on their own. My hair was pulled back in its classic messy ponytail, only after a bit of hard work, it was actually looking nice. Weird.

I backed away from the mirror slowly, utterly determined not to clean anything else soon.

**You'll see how I didn't specify a hair colour. That's because James Patterson doesn't. CRAZY OLD BASTARD. Blonde, brown, what's the diff, right? Like, what? JUST TELL US WHAT MAX LOOKS LIKE.**


	63. Singing in the Shower

**Natural Highs**

**I'm BAAAACK! Again!**

**Okay, this time it's ON. For realz. I've finished my read-a-hundred-books-in-a-year challenge, and my homework level this year is delightfully low. So now I've got some catching up to do on this one. IT IS SO ON.**

**Disclaimer: Not James Patterson.**

Chapter 63: Singing in the Shower

Nudge squeezed out some shampoo into the cupped palm of her hand. It was _her_ shampoo, as no one else really every took showers since Jeb died and wasn't around to make them.

"California girls, we're unforgettable," Nudge wailed as she lathered the shampoo into her unruly hair.

There was a loud knock on the wall, and Fang yelled, "NO, NUDGE!" over the drone of the shower's water.

"ANYTHING but Katy Perry!" Iggy chimed in desperately.

Nudge smirked and sung louder.

**Oh, Nudge. You little devil. I wish she was this trickster-y in the canon.**


	64. Telling a Riddle

**Natural Highs**

**So I did it. I went through and deleted… what, twelve of my poorer chapters? Luckily, this leaves me with sixty-three awesome ones and higher self-confidence. I am satisfied.**

**Long-term insecurity attack OVER.**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own the keyboard I'm pecking upon. Nor do I own The Whomping Willows, whom I am listening to right now, although Matt Maggiacomo is still awesome.**

Chapter 64: Telling a Riddle

"What has three heads, is ugly, and smells bad, Max?" Iggy posed to his flock leader one Sunday morning.

Max shrugged, deciding to humour him. "I dunno, what?"

Iggy just looked at her quizzically, even though he couldn't see her. He proceeded to rise from his chair and stroll over to the door and step into the hallway just beyond it. The whole flock followed him with their eyes as he positioned himself behind the door jamb.

Just as Max was about to ask what the hell he was doing, Iggy yelled, "I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE YOU DON'T HAVE THREE HEADS!"

Fang had to hold Max back, while Nudge sprinted out the door after the maniacally laughing Iggy, deciding to let her take this one.

**IGGY. YOU TURD. YOU LITTLE SHIT.**


	65. Being Thankful

**Natural Highs**

**Know what I should do? My homework. …Yeah, that's gonna happen.**

**Disclaimer: DAMMIT I'm running out of disclaimers.**

Chapter 65: Being Thankful

Angel missed the flock.

She had been so stupid – three weeks ago, she'd finally cracked and chewed everyone out, mostly Max. She still stood by the belief that she should be the leader. Age shouldn't matter, just ability. Max wasn't unable, of course. Just… Angel had better ideas.

After a blazing row (Fang hadn't been there to calm them both down), Angel had flown out on them all. Even Gazzy hadn't stood by her.

But her internal calendar told her it was Thanksgiving Day. They'd never really had the know-how or money to create a traditional Thanksgiving celebration, but they'd at least been together. For the first time, they were split up in a way no one had ever thought would happen.

Angel stood up, walking up the beach to her little cave on the shore. A seven-year-old, no matter how capable she was, should never be on her own like this. For the first time, Angel was regretting a decision.

She stepped into the mouth of her cave and lit her fire (thank you, months of on-the-run experience). Illuminated against the dark walls was Fang, smiling such a small smile that only those in the flock would know it was there.

Angel stared in shock, and as she did, the fire's light showed Gazzy on Fang's left, and Max on his right. Nudge, Iggy, and Dylan all came into focus in the same manner, silent as could be.

Iggy pulled out a bag of popcorn and tossed it on the fire, everyone beginning to smile widely. Angel ducked her head and thought fervently to no one in particular, _This is the best Thanksgiving we've ever had._

**It's so good to write satisfactory fanfiction again.**


	66. Wearing Your Favourite Outfit

**Natural Highs**

**Sixty-sixth chapter. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.**

**Disclaimer: I need to write three fics a day. JP could write thirty.**

Chapter 66: Wearing Your Favourite Outfit

I slumped onto the couch facefirst, my sweatpants scrunching up my legs. My jean jacket was, as always, on my body, and on this occasion, making an imprint on my face with one of its buttons.

That's just how I liked it. No frills, maintenance, or funny ways of sitting so no one could look up your skirt.

I didn't know how Nudge could stand that.

**I'm on a Prince of Egypt binge. Anyone else obsessed with that movie/soundtrack like I am?**


	67. Watching Fireworks

**Natural Highs**

**Oh, about reviewing. Since I deleted a bunch of chapters, people may have to review anonymously. Or not at all. That would make me sad, but I know how you guys roll. It's a really weird system on this site.**

**Disclaimer: My fourth fic of the day. His fourth novel of the day.**

Chapter 67: Watching Fireworks

The Fourth of July celebrations were taking place in the town down the hill. Of course, the flock couldn't go, because a) they'd be alert to the point of exploding while they were there, and b) no one thought anyone lived in the big E-shaped house on the outskirts of town.

So Angel and I were huddled behind the living room window, watching the beautiful fireworks in the air.

"Max, how do they make fireworks?" Angel inquired.

I cast about for any bit of information I had seen on Discovery Channel or something, but couldn't come up with anything. "I have no clue, Angel. I think the ancient Chinese had something to do with it. Maybe."

Angel snuggled closer into my side. "That's okay," she said. "They're pretty anyway. I wish we could fly up there and see them up close."

_Yeah, we wouldn't die at all, _I thought.

"I can hear you, remember?"

_Oh, yeah._

**Such a sweet moment. Thinking about death. How adorable.**


	68. Sleeping In

**Natural Highs**

**Okay, I'll stop bothering your email inboxes after this.**

**Disclaimer: When James Patterson sneezes, two books come out of each nostril.**

Chapter 68: Sleeping In

The clock said 1:21 P.M. I bolted upright, ripping the covers off my bed. I rushed into the living room, thinking feverishly of how much I had to do today.

Angel and Gazzy were sitting placidly on the couch, watching the TV. I wished it wasn't the only form of entertainment Jeb had left us with.

I looked out the window, where Iggy and Nudge were bickering about something, Fang looking on in disinterest.

I stormed outside, only now realising how attractive my rumpled clothes and bedhead must appear. Nevertheless, I put on my most imposing face. Iggy and Nudge shut up. Fang suddenly looked more interested in what would happen to those two.

"What on _earth_ are you two so pissed about?" I demanded.

"Look who's talking," Iggy retorted. Nudge smacked him lightly, then stepped away as he leapt for her.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Nudge edged as she avoided Iggy's flailing arms, and I came to her rescue, subduing him within five seconds. "How did you sleep?"

"How did I sleep? How did I _sleep_?" I was never quite right when I slept past noon, and today was no exception. "Why didn't someone come wake me up? I was going to drill with you guys this morning!"

"We were trying to do you a _favour_, _Maximum,_" Iggy grunted pugnaciously. "You were up all night researching, so we decided to let you sleep in."

"Oh." The fight went out of me – almost. Without further deliberation, and feeling the sudden awkwardness of the situation, I turned to start back for the house.

"Jeezus," Iggy continued, not aware of the fact that I had departed. "If this is how you're going to react all the time, we just won't _bother_ doing nice things for you."

"Good," I hollered back. "That's my job to do for _you._"

**Maximum does not like being upstaged.**

**Have a good weekend, everybody!**


	69. Knowing You're Being Stared At

**Natural Highs**

**Ugh. Sundays are the most busy I am all week. It DRIVES ME CRAZY. So here's your early morning dose of Max Ride.**

**Disclaimer: JP can wake up any damn time he wants on Sunday.**

Chapter 69: Knowing You're Being Stared At

I _loved_ walking past Fang's room when I had just taken a shower. It's not like I _never _showered, but when I did, it was enough to make a difference in my appearance.

Or so I could assume as I sauntered past the boys' door, taking my own sweet time, feeling Fang's eyes on me every second.

**I miss them being on the road. Their new house is STUPID.**


	70. Doing A Cannonball

**Natural Highs**

**CRAP I GOTTA GO.**

**Disclaimer: No time!**

Chapter 70: Doing A Cannonball

The lake was pristine on the summer day, but the girls had opted to simply sunbathe that one time.

Gazzy smiled evilly.

Without his customary "BONZAI!" he leapt into the water, throwing his entire weight into his jump.

There were shrieks from the shore, and Nudge and Angel both leapt to their feet, looking hopelessly at their soaked towels.

"It's no fun with you anymore!" Angel shrieked, and began to stomp toward the house.

"I don't know what you did, man," Iggy said, "but whatever it was, it was funny."


	71. The Comics Section

**Natural Highs**

**Haha, you thought I was gonna leave you hanging, didn't you? But no. I've finished my homework (kinda), so now it's SUPER AWESOME LAST CHAPTER OF THE NIGHT TIME!**

**Or at least mediocre.**

**Disclaimer: When I get published, me and JP are gonna have a party where we don't do homework… 'cos we're too old for homework. Yeah.**

Chapter 71: The Comics Section

Breakfast could have been relaxing. If there weren't six Teenage Mutant Ninja Terns squabbling over who got the last milk and the Garfield strip of the day.

Sometimes it was just easier to smile and nod in the mornings.

**That's what I always do. Just smile and nod. Or growl and rip somebody's throat out.**


	72. Maple Syrup

**Natural Highs**

**You thought I had gotten lazy again, didn't you? Well, I'm back. I was just working on other fics and NEGLECTING YOU. I hope no one had a nervous breakdown during my absence.**

**Disclaimer: JP doesn't have absences. Have you ever walked inside a bookstore?**

Chapter 72: Maple Syrup

"Pancakes!" Iggy declared from the kitchen. Nudge, Max, Angel, and Fang all leapt to their feet, trampling each other in a rush to the kitchen. (Gazzy was already there.)

"Where the hell - ?" Max demanded, tossing cans and boxes out of the pantry in a frantic search.

Gazzy sank a bit in his seat, trying to cover up the lake of syrup on his plate.

**Thought it up in Earth Science, proceeded to completely ignore my teacher. Short, but sweet.**


	73. Natural Gems

**Natural Highs**

**I just had a wonderful weekend.**

**Disclaimer: Unrelated!shoulder-in-pain is unrelated.**

Chapter 73: Natural Gems

Fang dropped down silently right in front of my face. I gasped.

"God, Fang, stop _doing_ that," I commanded. Fang's expression didn't change, but he held something out to me. It was a small seashell. I took it, confused.

"I tried to find you diamonds," Fang explained (_that_ was why he'd been out on the beach all day!), "but, of course, there were none. Plus, you'd find this more practical."

A slow smile crept up my face, and I leaned in and kissed Fang.

**I KNOW I KNOW SEASHELLS AREN'T GEMS. It was the thought that counts.**

…**I miss Fang.**


	74. A Warm Bed

**Natural Highs**

**This chapter is making me sleepy.**

**Disclaimer: Um.**

Chapter 74: A Warm Bed

Angel threw the covers over her head, letting them billow back down to the mattress.

"Stop it," Gazzy complained. "It's making me cold."

Angel smoothed the sheets back into order as she snuggled in next to her brother.

The Gasman sighed. "Much better."

**HOLY CRAP I JUST TURNED AROUND AND THE CLOSET DOOR IS RANDOMLY AND CREEPILY AJAR. (Not a **_**jar**_**. Just open.)**


	75. Walking Funny

**Natural Highs**

**My sister walked home a mile from school today. It was raining. My copy of **_**Will Grayson, Will Grayson **_**was in her bag. I am between fury and despair.**

**Disclaimer: He doesn't have an annoying sister. I think.**

Chapter 75: Walking Funny

Iggy wished he could watch peoples' reactions.

Back at the School, he would do irritating things, and he'd only be shocked or operated upon. Those were negative responses. Now he'd pour soda in someone's face, and they (usually Max) would beat him up. That was a negative response, too, but one filled with love and care deep down in it.

Way deep down.

So when Max smacked him upside the head for imitating Fang's walk (or at least how he imagined it), his smile would stretch from ear to ear.

**DARREN CRISS IS GONNA BE ON GLEE. AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THAT IS YOU HAVEN'T LIVED BYE.**


	76. Wiggling Your Ears

**Natural Highs**

**OOH! OOH! I'm past the number of chapters I had before I went and deleted the bad ones! HUZZAH!**

**Disclaimer: JP doesn't have to pop pimples anymore. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure he's past the pubescent stage.**

Chapter 76: Wiggling Your Ears

Angel hated it when five-year-old Gazzy wiggled his ears.

Thereby Max hated it. And thereby everyone else hated it. (Let's face it, two hours of _subtle hinting_ grated a little on everybody.)

Gazzy liked to wiggle his ears.

The house was often filled with _subtle hints._

**I'm almost at seventy-seven. That is a good number. Anyone with me?**


	77. Nametags

**Natural Highs**

**I'm on a SPREE! Somebody make me get through this!**

**Disclaimer: JP doesn't need self-imposed writing sprints. NANOWRIMO'S IN ONE MONTH PEOPLE I NEED CONDITIONING.**

Chapter 77: Nametags

Call us immature, but if we had to go to some dumb environmental convention for the CSA, the flock and I were at least going to exercise SOME caution.

No one here would know us as Max and Co. I was Sally, Fang had gone for Josh (like anyone would believe he was a "Josh"), Iggy was Neil, Nudge was Julietta, the Gasman had actually settled for Guy Fawkes (way better than his first choices, lemme tell ya), and Angel was Serena. Oh, yeah, and Dylan was Dylan. Bo-ring.

It was the most normal we'd ever been, other than our real identities.

But for some reason, every time we'd pass someone who looked at us like he recognised us and then took a second look at our stupid tags, we all had to stop walking so we could wipe the tears from our eyes from laughing so hard.

**I'm finished with another page of prompts in my notebook! YAAAY!**


	78. Fortune Cookies

**Natural Highs**

**I've still got one page to go, plus a little more. No worries, people.**

**Disclaimer: Too lazy.**

Chapter 78: Fortune Cookies

_A kind word will keep someone warm for years._

_Present your best ideas today to an eager and welcoming audience._

_You will enjoy razor-sharp spiritual vision today._

"Okay, these are all bullshit," I declared, discarding Nudge's, Iggy's, and my fortunes and grabbing for the others.

Angel's read, _Change your thoughts and you change the world._ That was actually okay.

Fang's was _When the moment comes, take the top._

Iggy spit his water all over the table. Blushing furiously, I snatched Gazzy's soggy fortune from the table, not daring to meet Fang's eyes.

_If at first you do succeed, try to hide your astonishment._

That made me feel better.


	79. Road Trip Games

**Natural Highs**

**The forum for NaNoWriMo is back uuuuuuuup! I am in LOVE with this year's lineup of Pep-Talk-givers.**

**Also I just pulled an all-nighter. I wrote about nine fics while sequestered up in my room, the following being some. We'll see how this turned out…**

**Disclaimer: I wonder if JP will ever do a Pep Talk…**

Chapter 79: Road Trip Games

"Slug bug!" Gazzy yelled, reaching over and punching Angel.

"OW! Gasman, that HURT!"

I rubbed my forehead, cursing my lack of foresight to this moment. We really should have flown.

"F! I see F!"

"Nudge, that's a P."

"Oh, yeah. Well, who asked you, Iggy?"

"Yellow one!" Gazzy punched his sister again.

Angel slapped him, and the two of them engaged in a full-on bitchslap war.

"TUNNEL UP AHEAD EVERYBODY HOLD YOUR BREATH!" I yelled in desperation.

Thank god for that tunnel.

**Now, Max, don't kill any of the poor bored children. That would not be ladylike of you.**

**God I'm so tired.**


	80. Secret Handshakes

**Natural Highs**

**Oh my gosh, you people. I just saw that I have 160 review on this fic. *sniffles* You're the best. Thank you SO much.**

**Disclaimer: I am not James Patterson. Nor am I a cherry tree. In case you were curious.**

Chapter 80: Secret Handshakes

"_Nice _one, Ig!" Gazzy exuded upon seeing his latest experiment in flock safety. Of course, it wouldn't keep us any safer than the enemies it would be thrown at, but it was the thought that counted. If Iggy just made a few modifications… or started again from the ground up… I'd be proud of him.

Iggy held up his hand, and I figured it would just be one of those "bro" high-fives. But then they both rose into the air, and Gasser zoomed full-speed toward Iggy's foot, grabbed it so they both flipped upside-down, and they smashed elbows, did some strange hand motion, grabbed each other's wrists, and finally butted heads.

I just watched, dumbstruck, as they miraculously found their way back down to the ground. I had no idea how they could navigate after both of their hard heads connecting.

"Cool handshake, huh?" Gazzy slurred upon seeing me on the ground.

"You people are so weird," I intoned, walking away with my dignity.

**They're boys. What can you do?**


	81. Discovering Chocolate Unexpectedly

**Natural Highs**

**This was stolen. Just warning ya. Stolen from Chapter 23 of The Angel Experiment.**

**Disclaimer: OH GOD WHY CAN'T I BE AS AWESOME AS JAMES PATTERSON**

Chapter 81: Discovering Chocolate Unexpectedly

Nudge laid down to sleep next to Fang, wishing everyone else was with Angel was gone, Iggy and Gazzy were watching the house, and Max had gone on some godforsaken act of female chivalry.

And Fang was just such an opposite of her that it didn't make for the best team of travelling companions.

Nudge sighed, and the chocolate on her breath surrounded her olfactory senses. The chocolate Fang had given her.

On second thought, maybe he wasn't so bad, after all.

**Sometimes I get irritated with James Patterson, 'cause it's obvious he's just ghost-writing or something, and it seems like he's just churning out books without putting any love into them (and sometimes without putting any plot connections into them…), but then I go to look something up, and I get caught up in it and read about half the book, and then I want to cry 'cause it's SO GOOD.**


	82. Taking Pictures

**Natural Highs**

**I **_**should**_** be doing my homework. Or practising for the audition I have later today. Or working on my novel, which I recommenced today. But I MADE A GOAL, DAMMIT.**

**Disclaimer: I don't think JP does anything else with his life but write novels.**

Chapter 82: Taking Pictures

"_Saycheese_!" Nudge rushed, taking Iggy completely by surprise, and he looked up, just as she ducked around his legs and took the picture from a completely different angle.

"Iggy!" she reprimanded upon looking at the digital screen and looking at her photo. "You've gotta at least _look_ at the camera!"

Iggy's head swivelled about, and he retorted, "Well, maybe if you'd _stay_ where you were for once…"

But Nudge was already gone.

"FAAAAAANG!" she squawked, and his bedroom door slammed against the adjacent wall as she snapped the pic.

Fang glared up from his position on his bed, nose in a comic book.

"Nudge, out," he demanded, and rose from the bed. Nudge screamed and broke for it, and Fang didn't think it was worth it to pursue her.

_I _knew_ getting her that camera was a bad idea._

**I can never seem to get Nudge right. I can't think of enough things to make her say.**


	83. Squealing

**Natural Highs**

**Bleh.**

**Disclaimer: Now I'm rushing them.**

Chapter 83: Squealing

"Backpacks, everyone!"

I tried not to groan as everyone got up to respond to Anne's call.

By the time I got to the living room, Fang, Iggy, Angel, and Gazzy had received satchels, each with a dorky cartoon design on it.

"Max, there you are," Anne said, holding out a (thank god) nondescript khaki-coloured bookbag, and I took it for inspection.

"What about me what about me ooh ooh my turn!" Nudge was bouncing up and down, and I put my hand on her shoulder to keep her from taking off then and there.

"Last but not least," Anne agreed, digging in the sack for the last backpack.

Nudge rolled her eyes. "Yeah, duh I'm not least. That's Angel."

"HEY!"

Anne finally extracted a luridly pink bag, and I covered my ears once I beheld the High School Musical design covering it. The rest all dropped their bags, some hiding behind others, some fleeing the room. Iggy was last, but once he heard the collective _thud_ of five people dropping what they were holding, he hightailed it, and I braced myself.

"!"

I finally revived Anne ten minutes and a bottle of smelling salts later.

**Heheh. Zefron.**


	84. Red Carpet Treatment

**Natural Highs**

**Last one! Then imma PRACTISE! 'Cause I NEED it! Well-wishes?**

**Disclaimer: JP wouldn't even ACCEPT well-wishes.**

Chapter 84: Red-Carpet Treatment

"What do you think? Another coat?" Nudge yanked on my hand to show Angel my nails.

"Mmm… yeah."

The brush ran gently through my tangled hair, and my toes were splayed so they could dry.

Ordinarily, if someone wanted me to act all girly-girl, I'd beat them up. But these were my girls. Besides, what the hell.

Being a girl once every few months couldn't be _that _bad.

**It's so weird whenever I come across another "Max acts like a lady" prompt, because… she doesn't. Ever. But hey. Creative license. Fanfiction.**


	85. Making Friends with the Police

**Natural Highs**

**I'm BAAAAACK!**

**I did okay in my audition, in case anyone cares. AND I got my homework done! And Tassel630 was bugging me about my 365 fanfics goal. So in celebration of the three-day-weekend which screwed up my sleep schedule, LET'S PARTAY.**

**Disclaimer: I really should've just blanket-disclaimed in the first chapter.**

Chapter 85: Making Friends with the Police

The sirens wailed behind the old beater as it rumbled down the highway.

"Uh-oh," Nudge said, wide-eyed behind the driver's seat as she pulled onto the shoulder. Angel bit her lip.

_I _knew_ we shouldn't have done this!_

_Hey, it was _your _idea! _Nudge defended mentally.

Footsteps could be heard on the road, so the girls stopped their squabbling. Nudge rolled down the window, the dust swirling by.

"Good afternoon, ladies," the officer said as she leaned into the window. Nudge tried her best not to look guilty. "Seems we've been having quite a day, here, haven't we?"

"Oh, we've been having a super day," Angel nodded, directing the officer's eyes to her own. They locked, and the lady did not move. Nudge would've wiped her forehead if she'd been sweating. "How has your day been?"

No response.

"It was good, wasn't it? Uneventful?" Nod. "No exciting car chases, nobody pulled over… nothing remarkable happened." Nod.

Angel clapped her hands. "Great! It was nice talking to you, Officer!"

The officer straightened up and stiffly walked back to the patrol car. Nudge could've kissed Angel. But that would've been weird.

"C'mon, let's fly home instead."

* * *

"Where were you guys?" Max interrogated upon their arrival back at the house.

"Just out making a new friend," Angel smiled.

**That cheeky little girl. WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE YOU WERE IN BOOK ONE?**


	86. Toes

**Natural Highs**

**God. Sorry about yesterday. I wrote some godforsaken HUGE oneshot (you can tell NaNoWriMo's coming up, can't you?) and it took up the whole time I had set aside for writing.**

**Disclaimer: Patterson doesn't set aside **_**time**_** for writing. He just exhales.**

Chapter 86: Toes

I stretched out atop my cosy bed at Mom's, one of those bone-jarring, spine-cracking stretches. My toes splayed out in front of me, and my short attention span was caught.

Ten minutes later, I heard, "What are you _doing?_" from the open door.

I stopped wiggling my toes and looked at Ella sheepishly. "Nothing."

**You're so creepy, Max.**


	87. Flipping the Record Selection Flaps

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson is like the Chuck Norris of novels. I'm more like the wimpy-little-girl of online dribbling.**

Chapter 87: Flipping the Record-Selection Flaps on the Jukebox

It is a widely acknowledged fact that fifties diners only have one perk: the music.

We ordered our outrageously expensive meals, and my eyes kept darting to the jukebox in the corner. Finally, I pushed out from the table and tried not to run like a dork to the player.

There were so many songs (that I didn't know; you try keeping up on your pop culture after ten years in a crazy house). I didn't know what to pick, so I went for "random."

Closing my eyes, I flipped through the selection menus, relishing the sound of the pages turning and the feel of my finger incessantly holding down the "next" button.

"Ahem."

I turned around to face a red-and-white-striped employee.

"Miss, could you please make a selection? That's not there as a toy."

I kicked him where it'd hurt.

**Ruin her fun, will ya…**


	88. Kicking Off Your Shoes and Splashing

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: No.**

Chapter 88: Kicking Off Your Shoes and Splashing Your Feet in a Fountain

We touched down behind a group of buildings and emerged, sweating, into a courtyard presided over by an archway reading "FINANCIAL DISTRICT." A large shadow fell from a building labeled MULCTUARY MONEY MANAGEMENT onto a splashing fountain.

Nudge sighed in relief, and we all ran to the water. It was the height of summer, and the heat had simply been too much for us up in the sky.

I kicked off my shoes and leapt in, closely followed by the kids. Fang and Iggy were more hesitant, Iggy because he had to feel his way in, and Fang because he was looking around warily. I yanked on his arm and he fell in.

We danced about for a bit, and then Angel started to migrate around the giant fountain. I followed her, and we almost ran into another group of people splashing, a father and three young children. We all looked at each other for a bit, and then shrugged and recommenced our splashing.

**Points to anyone who knows the family.**


	89. An Alarm Clock That Would Tell You

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: Still no.**

Chapter 89: An Alarm Clock That Would Tell You When to Get Up – And Why

_Rise and shine, it's five A.M.! _the Voice trilled in my brain.

I groaned out loud, pressing the backpack against my ears, as though that would do any good. _Leave me alone!_ I demanded. _Bother me all you want, but NOT while I am SLEEPING!_

_Ah, Max, dear_, the Voice pointed out, and I wanted to slug it. _It would seem that it's too late now._

I shrieked in frustration, and a small smattering of birds took flight in fright.

**Heh, neato. I'm at Chapter 89. CHAPTER 89? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?**


	90. Feeling Witty, Confident, Devastating

**Natural Highs**

**HOLY CRAP. No. No no. This is unacceptable. I've gotten to that point where writing is starting to feel like a chore. But that's exactly why I made this challenge: because I know I can't turn down a challenge.**

**Disclaimer: I AM GOING TO MAKE EVERY DISCLAIMER DIFFERENT DAMMIT**

Chapter 90: Feeling Witty, Confident, Devastatingly Feminine

"What you've gotta do," was the first thing I heard. The first thing I saw was Ella's way-too-close face, and I jumped about a mile.

"Is make him _want_ you," Ella continued.

"What?" I mumbled groggily; the Voice had been bothering me all night.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Fang," she replied. "You've been talking in your sleep again."

"I do not talk in my sleep!" I defended.

Ella held up a tape recorder.

"No, thank you, no evidence, please," I blustered.

* * *

"Hey, Fang," I purred, quashing the little voice (not Voice) in the back of my mind saying _Just kill yourself instead! YOU'LL APPRECIATE YOURSELF SO MUCH MORE FOR IT._

Fang turned, and I walked my fancy new clothes out the door (but not too quickly, or Ella would've sent me back in to do a do-over), feeling his wider-than-usual eyes on… my butt.

_Shut up,_ I said to the raised fists my mind was envisioning.

**THESE CHAPTERS ARE ALWAYS SO UNCOMFORTABLE GAH.**


	91. Testing a Wet Paint Sign for Yourself

**Natural Highs**

**Tassel630: Shut your slutty little mouth. Have **_**you**_** gotten to ninety chapters on a fic?**

**Disclaimer: I'm not entirely sure JP ever sleeps.**

Chapter 91: Testing a "Wet Paint" Sign for Yourself

"WET PAINT" proclaimed the sign in bold red letters.

_I'll be the judge of that_, Gazzy declared.

He wiggled his butt a few times before sitting on the bench with a loud slurping sound.

The Gasman stood up and looked at his soiled butt. He shrugged, because it wouldn't be his problem to wash off.

**YOU DO NOT DO THAT TO YOUR LEADER, YOUNG MAN. YOU GIVE THAT CONFIDENCE BACK RIGHT NOW!**

**Oh god I just hit the wall.**


	92. Being Cool

**Natural Highs**

**Hey, self? Remember how you told yourself you'd get to 150 by the end of the week if it killed you? Yeah, let's save that for the END of the week, instead of Tuesday, mmkay?**

**Disclaimer: I've heard that most authors do talk to themselves, but this is ridiculous.**

Chapter 92: Being Cool

Max, Fang, and Iggy were obviously the closest in age, as they had proclaimed themselves ten upon their release from the School. This naturally set them apart from Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel, who were all at different stages in life.

Not that their lives were particularly strenuous now that they were free, but still. It made a difference in the hierarchy.

The boys got some props from Gazzy, who would come to them for advice and such. But not even they could measure up to Max, who got _two_ kids fawning over her leaderly skills, as well as they themselves looking to her for order.

"How does it feel to be in the presence of the queen, boys?" she asked theatrically.

"_What?_" Iggy asked, snorting.

Max shoved his head into the popcorn.

**I think Max is coolest. She is, after all, my favourite character.**


	93. Puddle Jumping

**Natural Highs**

**Okay. Okay. Last one. Or I'll collapse.**

**Disclaimer: JP is BIONIC.**

Chapter 93: Puddle-Jumping

Angel's rain boots squeaked as she leapt about on the porch. The rain was torrenting down, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was a word.

One puddle, two, three, were stomped into. If it were possible for Total to sit _inside_ the door, he would have been.

"Angel!" Max called through the window. "Come inside, you'll get sick."

Angel picked Total up, and he squirmed, trying not to touch her wet sweater.

"You smell like wet dog," he huffed, and scurried inside the second Angel opened the door. Angel stood for a moment, a bit befuddled.

**Look which pot is calling the kettle black, Total.**

**Ahh, I missed Total. I could never think of a way to put him in a chapter!**

**Homework time. …Or nap. Help me decide.**


	94. Pretending to Wash Your Hands

**Natural Highs**

**So Unigu Mika and I spent our entire day watching Beowulf and eating unsightly amounts of pizza rolls, so this is a bit late. BUT! It's here!**

…**Aaaaaand my homework is still not done.**

**Disclaimer: I is not JP, yo.**

Chapter 94: Pretending to Wash Your Hands

In case it wasn't an already known fact, the Gasman was a dirty boy. And as a dirty boy, he liked to maintain the status quo.

So he hated it when Max went into leader-mode and tried to make him wash his hands.

Instead, he let the water run.

But, never one to leave a job done poorly, Gazzy decided he needed to wet the bar of soap as well, so he rubbed that down with water.

Then the towels needed to be rumpled, so he fluffed them up a tad.

Emerging from the bathroom, the Gasman felt rather accomplished.

"Gazzy?" Fang said. "You realise you just washed your hands, don't you?"

Gazzy thought for a moment.

_Dammit._

**So I had some new stuff planned, but then I remembered that I'm lazy, so imma just do more Natural Highs, and then do the new stuff tomorrow. I might get an ADEQUATE NIGHT'S SLEEP tonight!**


	95. Upside Down Things

**Natural Highs**

**Also, the other day I tried to write down the names of all my fanfics, and I couldn't do it. You know you write too much when…**

**Disclaimer: James Patterson might have the same problem, but we are not the same person. Cross my heart.**

Chapter 95: Upside-Down Things

"LOOK! LOOK WHAT I TAUGHT MYSELF!" Nudge shrieked, entering the Martinez kitchen on her hands.

"Great job, Nudge!" Angel congratulated. "I bet I can do it too!"

"Nuh-uh," Nudge refuted, sticking her tongue out at the younger girl.

Angel lifted into the air and flipped herself over, hands barely skimming the ground as she moved to the back door.

"Oh."

"Told ya."

"…Hey, that's cheating!"

**Then Nudge smashed into the kitchen island, but I left that part out, so you could all wonder at how graceful and sweet a person is she. XD**


	96. Offering to Help Make Food You Want

**Natural Highs**

**Last one. And then I might **_**actually**_** go to bed for once. And try to keep away nightmares of Grendel.**

**Disclaimer: Not creative enough.**

Chapter 96: Offering to Help Make Food You Want

Nudge wanted some pancakes. Preferably in a heart shape.

Of course, the only person who could make pancakes fairly well was Iggy. And Iggy was asleep.

"Hey," Nudge hissed, poking Iggy's cheek, and he flailed, blankets flying. "It's mooooooorning!" she crowed.

"Yeah, obviously," Iggy growled. "Otherwise I wouldn't be in bed." He turned over.

"Iggy!" Nudge cried, an accusatory tone in her voice. "You have to make us breakfast, don't you? If you don't, nobody else knows how! And if nobody knows how, no one can make anything! And if no one makes anything - " she gasped, really selling it – "we'll all STARVE."

Iggy hauled himself to his feet. "If it'll shut you up," he grumbled, and Nudge pumped her fist in victory, going to search for the heart mould.

**The end. Good night, everybody.**


	97. Choking on Your Food from Laughter

**Natural Highs**

**I just wrote a fic where people die. This is new territory for me. Also I got another mortality idea, for a legit story. It makes me wonder about my psyche.**

**Disclaimer: Hell, even my **_**career**_**'s dead. 'Cause it was… never… alive. Yeah.**

Chapter 97: Choking on Your Food from Laughter

"Okay, okay, I've got one," Iggy announced. It was Unofficial Flock Joke Night at dinner, mostly to amuse my mom and sister.

"So three men are waiting at the gate to heaven. St. Peter says, 'Okay, guys, pretty much anything goes up here, but whatever you do, never lie, or you will spend the rest of eternity with the ugliest women in the universe.'

"So they all agree and are admitted in. The first guy makes it a week before he lies about how rich he was on Earth. Bam! Right at his side appears the ugliest woman he had ever seen.

"The second guy makes it another couple weeks before he lies about how smart he is. Bam! At his side appears the second ugliest woman in the universe.

"So the first two guys are walking around with their monsters of women when they see their third friend walking with the hottest woman ever conceived by man. The first two guys say in unison, "How did you land with that babe when we get stuck with these nasty women?"

"He nudges the babe and says, 'Tell them.' She says to the first two guys, 'I lied.'"

Fang's sides almost split, he was laughing so hard. I couldn't exactly tell him to shut up, because I was not only laughing, but breathing around a hunk of chicken caught in my throat.

"I don't get it," Gazzy said blankly.

I coughed, hacked, and wheezed until I dislodged the chicken, which flew into Iggy's eye.

The rest of the table suddenly found Iggy's joke hilarious.

**Bleh. Homework time. DX**


	98. Bubbles

**Natural Highs**

**I'm pulling an all-nighter! If all you Americans wake up in the morning – what? NO, not feeling like P. Diddy! (Either way, it's "Wake up in the morning feeling like Jay Gatsby." XD) Anyway, if you all see a ton of these, it's because I'm finishing this fic. HEY THAR!**

**Disclaimer: I'm actually going to FINISH a series! JP doesn't do that!**

Chapter 98: Bubbles

Bubbles trailed from around the corner, so Angel and Nudge went to investigate.

There was a church on the other side of the corner, and a wedding had just taken place. Children everywhere were frolicking, streams of bubbles flowing from wands they held in their hands.

Angel snatched two bottles of bubbles from a small basket on the ledge of the ramp leading to the church's doors, and gave one to Nudge. They both joined the legions of kids running about, feeling less worried they had in a long time.

**Aww. Fit of nostalgia from the last fic I wrote about bubbles. *reminisces***


	99. Free Cereal Box Toys

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: 42.**

Chapter 99: Free Cereal-Box Toys

Nasty-looking powder came spilling out of the bottom of the Lucky Charms box, topping off Nudge's already-full bowl.

"Aww," she whined, setting the box down. Something rustled inside it as she did so. Curious, Nudge peered into the box. Something small and green sat in the bottom.

She fished it out, saw that it was a ring, and put it on her finger.

Three years later, she hadn't taken it off yet.

**Oh my god. I have 99 CHAPTERS? (Sorry, I know I do this about once every ten chapters.)**


	100. Being Wet

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: No matter how long I go at it, I can never be as prolific as JP.**

Chapter 100: Being Wet

"Iggy."

Iggy didn't move.

Angel sighed. Must they go through this every day?

"IGGY. Are you deaf now, too?"

Nothing.

But her comment about senses Iggy actually _had_ gave Angel an idea.

Hoisting the bucket over her head, Angel let it loose over the redhead's bed.

Spluttering and coughing, Iggy splashed around in his soggy blankets, soaking Angel with his thrashing.

"If you'd just woken up…" Angel left the regret unfinished.

**WOOHOO! A HUNDRED CHAPTERS! THIS IS CRAZY! I'm so tired.**


	101. Whispering

**Natural Highs**

**Yeah, sorry I misled you yesterday. I totally thought I was going to finish this fic last night, because I was up for twenty-four hours (now I've taken a nap, no worries), but then I realised that this chapter needs to have, like structure, and make sense. So instead I took a shower and read my BIG NARNIA COMPENDIUM.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not C. S. Lewis either. 'Cause that guy's dead.**

Chapter 101: Whispering

It was so irksome whenever Nudge leaned down to Angel's ear and began hissing into it. The boys and Max all knew what was coming: a fifteen-minute conversation whispered behind long hair and flat hands, giggles thrown in between. That was the worst part. _The giggles._ At one point, the sibilant noise got so severe that Max was thinking of looking up Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in the phone book.

Of course, it was bound to spread.

They didn't even notice they were doing it at first, and Max knew they'd be horrified if she pointed it out, but Iggy and Gazzy, who were once simply secretive, became simply unbearable.

Usually, it was Gazzy's custom to yell out his plans to Iggy with a mouth full of Pop-Tart, at which point Max would remove whatever destructive materials he had in his backpack. But this whispering meant that she had lost all her power. And Max did _not_ like to lose her power.

She would rant and rave about whispering, making up for the less-audible voices with her own volume.

In the middle of one of these rants, Fang grabbed her wrist, standing up to meet her, and breathed something into her ear. Blushing faintly, Max sat back down, completely subdued.

None of them ever found out what had been said. (They had a feeling they'd barf.)

**Ruin the romance, guys. Classy.**

**Now I feel stupid for not writing this last night. It was easy.**

…**Great, now I mentioned the Pop-Tart. *hunts for pastry***


	102. Hugging

**Natural Highs**

**I THINK I KNOW MY PROBLEM. …Well, one of the many. **_**Fang**_** threw me. I can no longer write good Fax because of how Fang fucked everything up! I feel like I've answered the question of LIFE here.**

**Disclaimer: I dunno, guys. I'm not sure JP's quite the genius I obviously am.**

Chapter 102: Hugging

"Max?"

I jerked up. Gazzy was in the doorway. "What's up, Gasser?" I mumbled, tasting my own morning breath and not being very pleased by it.

"I had a nightmare." He looked so vulnerable over there, seven years old and frightened.

I swung my legs out of bed and held my arms out. "Come here."

Gazzy walked into my hug. "Do you want to stay in here tonight?" The Gasman nodded into my shoulder, his body warming me up even though he was so little.

**Mommy Max is da bomb. :)**


	103. Writing Your Name

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: Let's face it. I suck, Patterson apparently doesn't.**

Chapter 103: Writing Your Name

"Girls, let's go inside," I suggested, looking up at the ominously dark clouds overhead.

Nudge folded in her wings and floated gracefully down, and Angel darted to the ground, further proof that she was related to the Gasman.

Speaking of the Gasman…

I opened the front door and gasped. In red crayon, on every flat surface, was written "GASMANGASMANGASMANGASMAN." (Actually, I was only partially sure it said that, as Gazzy only _thought_ he knew how to write and/or spell. But I've always been a pretty good guesser.)

"GASMAN!"

**Look, Ma! No brains!**


	104. Echoes

**Natural Highs**

**From the infamous Chapters 17-19 of Saving the World. Well, kinda post-19.**

**Disclaimer: JP doesn't still have to apply to FREAKING COLLEGES.**

Chapter 104: Echoes

Fang wanted to hear her voice.

He flipped over, the cave floor never becoming more comfortable. He wanted to know where she was, if she was all right, even if it had embarrassed her.

He didn't even want to kiss Max anymore. Just know she was there.

Hell, he didn't even know if she had flown back to the others!

But she wouldn't do that. That would be giving up on a mission, and giving up on a mission was not Max.

Reverberating off the cave walls, Fang thought he heard a sob.

But that was probably just the echo of a hooting owl somewhere. Not Max.

**Though I am rather pleased with this, I wish I had remembered to make "Echoes" something that made Fang **_**happy**_**. Instead of **_**pissy.**_** I seem to do that a lot. But I'll live.**

**Will you? CAN YOU GUYS LIVE WITH THAT? *melodrama***


	105. Being Dirty

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: I… am boring.**

Chapter 105: Being Dirty

"Gasman, do you have the remote?" Nudge peeked her head around the corner of his door.

"Yep," Gazzy replied, not looking up from his GameBoy, and pointed over at an indistinguishable pile in the corner.

Nudge picked up the TV remote, and the pile erupted. Brown goo of some sort splashed all over her front.

"Ugh, WHY ARE YOU THE DISGUSTING ONE?" she shrieked, though she stomped out triumphant, the remote clenched in her hand.

Gazzy looked up on a delay. "What?"

**I don't even think he **_**has**_** a GameBoy… Somehow, I feel like they wouldn't be able to buy one. CALL ME CRAZY.**


	106. Libraries

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: Now I am tired. Doesn't JP live in an earlier time zone? Maybe I'm thinking of someone else.**

Chapter 106: Libraries

The library was the only place Nudge would be quiet.

The flock liked the library.

**I was going to make that longer. But I thought it got the point across nicely.**


	107. Bonfires

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: I swear to Patterson I am not God.**

Chapter 107: Bonfires

Blazing flames lick the sky  
Orange colours soar and fly  
Nudge gives Angel a smile and sighs  
Fang just sits with dark blank eyes  
Iggy hears a plane go by  
Relaxation makes them high  
Everyone is going to die  
Someday, but here, they just lie.

**You can tell I'm getting lazier, can't you?**

**One more page of my notebook – DONE! *rips out ceremonially***


	108. Babies

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: I'm drawing to a close. I think James Patterson might be immortal.**

Chapter 108: Babies

There was only one thing Angel could possibly miss about the School: the babies.

Even though Angel herself had been very young when they had broken out, she was strong. And the other hybrids saw that. They looked up to her, as much as it is possible to admire someone who's a genetic mutant who may expire at any moment.

But when they had left, she couldn't help but think about those little bitty monsters, how they needed her help to get out like she had been so lucky to.

That's why she needed to be the leader of her flock. Those babies needed her.

…**Well. That came out of left field.**


	109. Roller Coasters

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: Definitely not an old man.**

Chapter 109: Roller Coasters

"CEDAR POOOOINT!" the Gasman screamed, pointing excitedly to the ground.

_Dammit._

I had been trying to fly around that.

"Can we go, Max?" Angel pleaded, those eyes – NO! Look away, Max!

"Sure" came out of my mouth before I could stop it. _Dammit again._

_Max!_

_Angel, stop listening to my head._

The Millennium Force came into quick focus as we descended, and the Gasman got the bright idea to _land _on it. Of course, thanks to Murphy's Law, the train came screaming down upon us, having just descended a hill. I grabbed Iggy and leapt up, the others right on my tail.

But hey. If Gazzy can be foolhardy, who am I not to follow his example?

I landed on the back of the car.

People swiveled their heads to look at me as I hurriedly stuffed in my wings (or they tried to; the centrifugal force was a bit too much for that). Leaning down, I clung to the sides of the train.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" the Gasman yelled next to me. A camera flashed, and we came around the last corner.

"Now!" I yelled, unfurling my wings, though there was no way to be fast _and _discreet. People stared as we took to the sky.

"_Now look what you did,_" Fang trilled in a TOTALLY NOT SIMILAR imitation of my voice.

**Hey. Let Max let loose once in a while, Mr. Stick-in-the-Mud!**


	110. Poor Singing

**Natural Highs**

**Can you tell I'm determined to finish off this baby before this show is over?**

**Disclaimer: JP was quoted saying he has probably THIRTY manuscripts lying around his house. **_**THIRTY.**_** *faints WITH nosebleed***

Chapter 110: Poor Singing

"RA RA AH AH AH ROM MA ROM MA MA GA GA OOH LA LA WANT YOUR BAD ROMANCE!"

"IGGY, SHUT UP!"

**I love writing Iggy, 'cause he can't see. It's awesome. It's like Iggy's Sensory Show.**


	111. A Long Distance Phone Call

**Natural Highs**

**I just realised that a couple of hours ago, I was fantasizing about getting to THIS VERY CHAPTER. It was about thirty chapters away. *pathetic***

**Anyway, MAKE A WISH, 'cause WE'RE AT 111!**

**Disclaimer: I'm writing fanfics at the rate James Patterson writes books.**

Chapter 111: A Long-Distance Phone Call

"Put her on speaker, Mom!" _Beep._

"What's up, guys?"

"Boring stuff, same as usual. School is dumb. Where are you?"

"I'm using a pay phone in Utah. We're coming down to meet with Mom for another event."

"The CSM is getting you clearance into the White House, Max!"

"Already been there, Mom."

"Well, what's the occasion, sweetheart?"

"I dunno. I just wanted to hear your voices."

"_Of course_ she wanted to hear my voice, Mom. It's angelic."

"Ella, can it."

"Love you too."

**Classy, Max.**

**I think this is my first full dialogue ever. Huh.**


	112. Friends

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: NO TIME! SHOW'S GETTING CLOSE!**

Chapter 112: Friends

Even though their lives had started out torturous, they would never have changed it. They would either have all been different people in a different world, probably living in separate states and never encountering each other, or they'd never have been born. They could never be sure which would have been worse for them.

They belonged to each other. Total belonged to Angel belonged to Nudge belonged to Fang belonged to Gazzy belonged to Max belonged to Iggy, and all those other relationships in between. Even Dylan had a space, if only a small one.

In this case, you can choose your family, and they had.

**Oh so cute moving on.**


	113. Winning a Really Competitive Game

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: Not he.**

Chapter 113: Winning a Really Competitive Game

As I've said before, boys cannot beat me. And even though they can't beat me, they sure as hell can't join me.

I won against Omega, I killed Omega. He had no chance to do either anyway.

I enjoy being a girl.


	114. A Care Package

**Natural Highs**

**Disclaimer: All right, jig is up. I'm totally James Patterson, dawgs.**

Chapter 114: A Care Package

I loved it when Mom snuck a bag of stuff into my backpack before we left every time we visited her and Ella. I eagerly ripped it open.

Tampons! SCORE.

An old sweatshirt of hers that had her scent – my favourite.

A note from Ella.

And, of course, cookies.

I would _not_ be sharing this time.


	115. Riding A Bike Downhill

**Natural Highs**

**Wow, you guys. This is it. This is the last chapter.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, favourites, and alerts, for sticking around when I didn't update in a while, and for putting up with my crazy. You just CAN'T GET AWAY FROM IT!**

**I am so ready to hit the "complete" button.**

**Disclaimer: I am clearly, obviously, and indubitably myself. Ninja C, dork extraordinaire. And I have finished before this damn show. (I'm still not entirely sure why I was competing against a television program.)**

Chapter 115: Riding A Bike Downhill

Ella had let Gazzy borrow her bike. Thank God Max hadn't been around to stop her!

Pedaling roughly, the Gasman mounted the residential hill, rolling past driveways and dogs on chains. Wondering what it would have been like to live like a normal kid in a neighbourhood like this, Gazzy reached the summit and began down the other side.

"Whoa!" He narrowly missed a fire hydrant, having strayed from the sidewalk. Gazzy struggled to get back to the pavement, but the hill had become steeper, and so all he could do was hold on tight.

The bottom got closer and closer, and Gaz gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

He was jarred from the bike, which now looked like a car did when its hood got smashed in, sticking out of a tree.

Gazzy tucked and rolled. Once he got up, he surveyed the damage.

"Eh, I can fix it."

**Thank you and good night.**


End file.
